At church on Sunday, it was both a celebration of Mother’s Day and our Flower Communion. It was a packed, all-ages gathering that moved me to tears on more than one occasion. The beautiful service wove together themes of nurturing, diversity, unity, and of course, the inherent worth and dignity of all people. Even though I was likely the only blind attendee, thoughtfulness about accessibility meant I hardly missed a thing.

I entered the sanctuary, knowing I would not have to ask to be included. After greeting the ushers who knew I needed no printed order of service, I easily found and opened the digital version on my smartphone, all because my congregation’s homepage was built with accessibility in mind. This gave me access to names, lyrics, titles, and litanies, the same as sighted friends. I was able to participate just as much as I wanted to, because my church knows some people read via Screen Readers.

May 15 is the 14th Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), and I blogged about my personal passion for the annual celebration last year. The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion for the more than One Billion people with disabilities around the globe. This year, there are 169 events scheduled to engage and teach folks about digital access, and as most are virtual, it’s easy to participate.

I would recommend that everyone who posts content to your congregation’s website take advantage of this amazing opportunity to learn. When we honor the inherent worth and dignity of all people, all beloveds get access.