<div dir="ltr"><div><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-e5128a23-7fff-65a9-3007-e6dcaea2a739"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="border:none;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:624px;height:135px"><img alt="Logo: Global Accessibility Awareness Day; Committing to Change; May 15, 2025. Sponsored by; University of Minnesota, University of Illinois System, and University of Michigan" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXf3tA60SALrr5vsZW7chPX7ztrgQB1fly4H0_wHMOsy5ihS8WhSDB-QkTNA6FXdVqYn5izpOk26QlvsWRaZkSWhI9ebm1nzOU3TMU-_nKXw60ZGdWnjAUxq7XCv550x5Cptdgm13g?key=-pBGNmXq_-sOObbPSjMMBQ" width="624" height="135" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></span></span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Dear ATHEN Community Members,</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The University of Minnesota, along with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Michigan are hosting a virtual event to celebrate </span><a href="https://z.umn.edu/gaad" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> on Thursday, May 15, 2025. This year’s theme, "Committing to Change", is about moving beyond awareness to action. It’s about making accessibility an integral part of everything we do—from the way we communicate, design, and innovate, to how we create a more equitable future for everyone.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">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. Find more </span><a href="https://accessibility.umn.edu/gaad/2025-proposal-criteria" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">information about the proposal criteria and the event</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> on the GAAD website.</span></p><br><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:6pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Speaker Benefits</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">We deeply value the expertise and insights that each of our speakers brings to this event. To honor your contribution, we are pleased to offer a modest honorarium. Our budget is still being finalized, so we will share the details as soon as they’re available.</span></p><br><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:6pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">How to Apply</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Complete the </span><a href="https://forms.gle/2saKQZFioXuofmUH7" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">GAAD 2025 Call for Proposals Form</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> by January 3, 2025. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">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><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">For any inquiries or further information, reach out to us at </span><a href="mailto:gaad-conference@umn.edu" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">gaad-conference@umn.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference. We look forward to collaborating with you for GAAD 2025.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Warm regards,</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Global Accessibility Awareness Day Planning Committee</span></p></span><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000">Luke Kudryashov</font><div><font color="#000000">Senior Digital Accessibility Analyst, Deputy ADA Coordinator </font></div><div><font color="#000000">Office for Digital Accessibility | <a href="http://accessibility.umn.edu" target="_blank">accessibility.umn.edu</a></font></div><div><font color="#000000">University of Minnesota | <a href="http://umn.edu" target="_blank">umn.edu</a></font></div><div><font color="#000000"><a href="mailto:kudry003@umn.edu" target="_blank">kudry003@umn.edu</a></font></div><div><font color="#000000">Pronouns: He/They</font></div></div></div></div>