Graphic showing various accessibility-related icons.

Today, Thursday, May 18 marks the 12th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to get people across the world “talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion.”

At City Colleges of Chicago, we are committed to creating learning environments that meet the needs of our diverse student body and the city of Chicago. On this Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we are pleased to share two important updates related to our work on accessibility.

First, we have launched a new accessibility website where students, faculty, staff, and parents can find helpful resources depending on their various needs. Whether you’re a student who would like to request an accommodation for one of your classes, or you’re an employee in need of a sign language interpreter for an event, this site will help you get started.

To visit the website, go to https://colleges.ccc.edu/accessibility/. We have also begun the process to redesign all of our web pages so they meet a higher accessibility standard and are currently in the early stages of this multi-phased process.

Second, to achieve our goal of disability equity, around two years ago, City Colleges convened a committee to create our system’s first-ever Accessibility Plan. The committee relied on the expertise of staff, with essential input from students and faculty, to evaluate the current state of accessibility at City Colleges and propose recommendations. Those 38 recommendations are outlined in the full plan, which can be viewed here.

Creating access across our colleges requires the work of many—and this Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we are deeply grateful to all of the students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders who participated in the critical work to launch both our accessibility plan and website.

If you have any questions related to accessibility at City Colleges, please email accessservices@ccc.edu.