How it Began
For ten years, we’ve worked alongside educators, students, and industry leaders to transform accessibility from an afterthought into a foundation for innovation and inclusion.
On April 20, 2016, Teach Access began with a simple but powerful idea. A group of volunteers from academia, industry, and nonprofit advocacy organizations came together for an afternoon discussion on advancing digital accessibility education. From that meeting, a core group formed a steering committee, launched working groups, and set out to share the vision. What started as a grassroots collaboration quickly grew into a national effort to embed digital accessibility into higher education curricula—bridging sectors to prepare the next generation of professionals to design and build inclusive technology.
Almost 10 years later, on August 21st, 2025, Teach Access went live to celebrate its 10 years of impact and launch our $1.5 for the next 1.5 campaign. Hosted by Casey McArdle with special guests including co-founder Mike Shebanek, Board Chair Laura Allen, and Vice Chair Meena Das, the event shared the origin story of Teach Access, milestone achievements, global expansion, and inspiring program updates. Watch the recording to hear firsthand how we’ve already reached 1.5 million students and how we’re preparing the next generation to build an accessible, inclusive future.
Celebrate with us!
We had an amazing afternoon with Lex Gillette, the most decorated totally blind long jumper in U.S. Paralympic history, an acclaimed public speaker, an author, and a Teach Access Board Member. Lex shared a powerful journey about the transformative force of accessibility, the resilience forged in his Paralympic triumphs, and the wisdom from his professional path.
10 Year T-Shirt Design Challenge
Stay tuned! The submission process has closed. The selected finalist designs will be shared with our community for voting, and the winning design will be announced in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) in May. The winning artwork will be featured on official Teach Access 10th Anniversary merchandise available for purchase throughout the anniversary year.
Give an anniversary gift today!
Thank you to our sponsors
