<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Dear </span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">ATHEN <span style="color:black">community,</span></span><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="msg-1322591936586675876"><div lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word"><div class="m_-1322591936586675876WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The University of Minnesota is hosting a virtual event to celebrate the annual </span><a href="https://z.umn.edu/gaad" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155cc">Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> on Thursday, May 16, 2024. This year’s theme is “Built Without Barriers” to highlight ways we can write content, create websites, and build our organization to remove barriers for people with disabilities. Last year we had over 460  individuals register and it was a very successful event where people shared their successes and learning opportunities.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">We invite passionate and knowledgeable individuals to contribute as speakers. Your insights and experiences are invaluable, and we believe they will greatly enrich our event.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Speaker Benefits:</span></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">In recognition of your valuable contribution, we plan to offer speaker honorariums. We are finalizing the budget so cannot share yet what that might look like.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">How to Apply:</span></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Complete the </span><a href="https://forms.gle/t8j3HSDYK1ffMvuw9" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155cc">GAAD 2024 Speaker Interest Form</span></b></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> by February 9, 2024. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Please share this call for speakers within your network. We are looking for diverse perspectives that can shed light on various aspects of accessibility and inclusivity.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For any inquiries or further information, reach out to us at </span><a href="mailto:gaad-conference@umn.edu" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155cc">gaad-conference@umn.edu</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference. We look forward to potentially collaborating with you for GAAD 2024.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Warm regards,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Global Accessibility Awareness Day Planning Committee</span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">University of Minnesota</span></p></div></div></div></div></div>