GIC Accessibility Newsletter: Issue #5

By GIC Published on December 17th, 2025

Last updated on December 17th, 2025

Accessibility Countdown:

128 Days
(4 months, 7 days)
until Accessibility Deadline (4/24/26)

DTI Offers Training for New Accessibility Testing Extension

Screenshot of new Level Access Test Accelerator software tool.

DTI’s agreement with Level Access has expanded to include a new accessibility testing browser extension feature called Test Accelerator. This is a manual testing tool used to conduct structured accessibility evaluations and to document results.

There will be a one-hour online training session on December 29th at 2pm.

Agenda

Browser Extension overview
Navigating the Finding Details page
Creating an evaluation
Adding and documenting findings
Actioning results and next steps

Who should attend

Developers
Testers
Technical or editorial staff involved in manual accessibility testing or review of Level Access findings

For more information and access, please reach out to Jenifer Sandonato at Jenifer.Sandonato@Delaware.gov.

Attendance will be limited!

Exhibitor table at the tech conference, with someone demonstrating their new assistive reader.

Premier Assistive Technology Online Conference Next Month

A big event for those interested in the latest assistive technology developments is coming up next month, and there are options for online attendance.

The Assistive Technology Industry Association 2026 Conference is being held in Orlando. For those unable to attend in person, there will be both free and paid online sessions available.

In addition to sessions with industry thought leaders, there will be updates on the latest assistive tech developments from representatives from Apple, Google, and Microsoft among other companies.

ATIA 2026 Conference Banner, stating that the event is live January 29 through 31, and recordings are available through April 30th.

Those attending online can experience the conference on the following schedule:

January 29 – 31: Roughly 40 live stream sessions PLUS five AssistiveWare sponsored pre-recorded sessions available.
Mid-February: All 100+ recorded sessions available for viewing.
April 30: Access to recorded sessions ends.

Registration Reaches Capacity for Delaware LIFE Conference

Registration has now closed for Delaware’s 27th annual LIFE Conference on January 21, 2026, at Bally’s Dover Conference Center. This event is in-person only, with a theme this year of “Moving Forward Together.”

Topics to be discussed include a panel discussion, Smart Home Innovations, Assistive Technology Use in Schools, How to Speak Up and Make a Difference, Parenting with a Disability, Achieving Financial Independence, and many others!

2026 LIFE Conference Session Descriptions

Upcoming Accessibility Events

December 29: Level Access Test Accelerator Training
2-3pm. An accessibility tester training session for developers, editors, and other website stakeholders. (Details above)

January 21, 2026: LIFE Conference
Featuring a keynote speaker and nine concurrent sessions covering a variety of topics related to accessibility.

January 29 – 31, 2026: Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATiA) Conference
ATIA 2026 is where the assistive technology community will gather, January 29 – 31, in Orlando, Florida and virtually! Over the past 25 years, the ATIA conference has been the leading community-building and learning event for all things AT.

February 18 – 20, 2026: Zero Project Conference 2026
Dedicated to a world with zero barriers. The in-person conference at the United Nations Office at Vienna is an invitation-only event but live and on-demand content will be streamed accessibly via the conference platform and the Zero Project’s YouTube channel.

Positive Signs for Digital Accessibility

Man in wheelchair with laptop computer smiling and giving a thumbs-up sign.

Nearly 9 in 10 organizations (89%) say that prioritizing digital accessibility gives them a competitive advantage, reporting real improvements in key areas like user experience (91%), customer satisfaction (90%), and brand reputation (88%) when accessibility is prioritized.
Source: Level Access
In 2025, 83.9% of digital professionals ranked digital accessibility as either a top priority or important to their organization, representing a meaningful increase compared to prior years — proving a growing commitment to inclusion.
Source: Applause
Research shows that accessible e-commerce sites have much lower cart abandonment (23% vs. 69%) and higher sales (about 15% more) than inaccessible ones — a strong indicator that accessibility improves the experience for all users and boosts business outcomes.
Source: TestParty

Question of the Week: Social Media and Accessibility

Cartoon of a girl in a wheelchair with thumbs-up icons around her.

Do the same website rules for accessibility apply to social media?

YES.

The rules are actually exactly the same, although the path to some of those remediations is less clear.

For instance, did you know that every image shared on Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn should have alt text? Do you know how to add alt text in those formats? Here are links to those four social media’s help pages regarding alt text.

Specific Alt Text Instructions: