Advisory Groups Launch on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)

Web accessibility market leader accessiBe, in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), announced the launch of its first community-led product advisory board comprised of accessibility leaders, to directly influence accessiBe’s innovations. Additionally, the company also debuted accessLabs, a testing group composed of developers with disabilities, who are central to accessiBe’s product workflow, ensuring the company effectively serves users of assistive technologies such as screen readers, braille displays, and speech recognition software.

With the launch of accessLabs and the appointment of a product advisory board, accessiBe is deepening its commitment to inclusive innovation by elevating the voices of people with disabilities. The board will be led by Josh Basile, accessiBe’s Community Relations Manager, disability rights advocate, C4-5 quadriplegic, power wheelchair user, and lawyer, to ensure that innovations for web accessibility are guided by lived experience and community insight.

“When disability communities help lead the way, the future of accessibility becomes not only more innovative but genuinely inclusive,” Basile said.

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Notable board members include Stephane Leblois of The Valuable 500 and Section 508 tester Chandra Smith, who also held the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA 2024. Additional board members include leaders from the following organizations:

• Special Olympics USA
• Parkinson’s Foundation
• Amputee Coalition
• United Cerebral Palsy
• United Spinal Association
• Blinded Veterans Association
• Turnstone
• Defeating Epilepsy Foundation
• The Viscardi Center
• The Ehlers Danlos Society

Today’s announcement follows accessiBe’s recent appointment of Robert Lopez as CEO, and is just one of several pivotal developments ushering in a new era for the company. Over the past few months, accessiBe has introduced a range of initiatives that reflect its forward momentum, including an expanded ecosystem of tailored solutions that blend cutting-edge AI with human expertise. They also launched accessFlow 2.0, a robust developer platform designed to manage accessibility directly at the source-code level, and enhanced their proprietary engine to strengthen regulatory alignment and boost overall website performance.

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“As we continue to lead with a best-in-class approach to accessibility, our mission is to advance true digital inclusivity by empowering our customers to do the same,” said Robert Lopez, CEO, accessiBe. “We recognize that accessibility isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither are an organization’s goals, challenges, and resources. Our advisory board and accessLabs are instrumental in ensuring that lived experiences guide innovation and that every voice is represented in the solutions we build.”

The advisory board will meet quarterly to provide hands-on product testing, open feedback sessions, and roundtable discussions, ensuring a well-rounded and inclusive approach to web accessibility.