The Bureau of Internet Accessibility and CommonLook, the PDF accessibility experts, are collaborating to share important website and digital document accessibility information through an exciting series of 12 free webinars, kicking off October 22, 2020.
Attendees can choose to join general accessibility overview sessions, advanced technical sessions, or both. General overview sessions will be held on select Thursdays from October 2020 – January 2021, and the advanced track will take place select Tuesdays over the same time period. Webinars are structured to feature 30 minutes of presentation followed by 15 minutes of Q & A.
Jump directly to: Free Website and PDF Accessibility Webinar Series from CommonLook and BoIA.
The introductory session on October 22 is titled "What is Digital Content and Why Does it Need to be ADA/AODA Compliant?," and will provide an overview of the accessibility requirements for different content types, like videos, PDFs, and images. The presentation will be live-captioned.
Many have heard of accessibility requirements due to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), but may be unfamiliar with the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act). This law requires the websites of private businesses and nonprofit organizations in Ontario with 50 or more employees to be accessible according to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards by January 1, 2021. Organizations with more than 20 employees must file an AODA Accessibility Compliance Report by December 31, 2020. These deadlines make this presentation even more timely and important.
This webinar series is a fast-follower to the August announcement that BoIA and CommonLook have partnered to provide the best digital accessibility solutions for website and document compliance.
Two industry leaders have joined forces so that CommonLook clients who want website accessibility audits can work with BoIA, and BoIA clients have access to CommonLook's document accessibility software, remediation services, and training.
"This alignment is all about our clients," said Mark Shapiro, Bureau of Internet Accessibility President. "We want to provide the best accessibility compliance options available. Both the Bureau of Internet Accessibility and CommonLook have been leading our respective industries for decades, helping tens of thousands become compliant. It's a natural fit and we're proud to call CommonLook our partner."
Monir ElRayes, President of CommonLook, said, "CommonLook continues to look for strategic partners that offer the very best solutions for ensuring compliance with the accessibility standards. Our focus is to guarantee 100% compliance with PDF accessibility standards. The Bureau of Internet Accessibility provides the key services our clients are looking for in achieving full compliance for their websites."
These webinars will have something for beginners and seasoned accessibility professionals alike.