GAAD in Brief: News and Notes From the GAAD Foundation | Issue #1
Welcome to the first edition of GAAD in Brief, our semi-regular newsletter. As the name suggests, we know your email is likely crowded with eNewsletters, so we promise to make ours among the shorter to consume.
Foundation Update
Since we launched the foundation in May, we have been heads-down through the summer getting all of the pieces in place, such as our bylaws, and filing for recognition as a tax-exempt organization under 501(C)(3) with the IRS. As you can well imagine, if it involves the government, there’s lots of paperwork to complete. The good news is we filed on September 10, and now we wait. A quick shout-out to the fine folks at the Wheelhouse Group, especially Liz Kagan and Maxine Teller who kept the Executive Committee on track, making the process as painless as possible for us. Thanks to them for their amazing counsel throughout the process. Now we can focus on the work of the foundation, including our first meeting of the Board coming up in December.
Meet Your Board
In each edition, we will spotlight a member of the Board. When asked “What was it that drew your interest in joining the GAAD Foundation Board?” Nadya Ichinomiya said the following: “As chair of the Women in Technology: Hollywood Foundation since 2014, I thought I was fairly cognizant of most major areas of focus in Diversity/Equity/Inclusion/Belonging space, especially since I work in technology. However, listening to an illuminating talk about GAAD by Joe Devon was a catalytic, galvanic moment. It was fire. It was emotional. And it moved me into motion. I realized that I had a LOT more to discover in the area of Accessibility, which was both humbling as well as motivating. I felt in my heart that I have a moral and ethical responsibility to get involved. To proactively help build a resourceful, durable organization that would bring more awareness to Accessibility, and more importantly, ACTION. The world is calling for a transformation in Accessibility; fueling this transformation has the power to dramatically impact the quality of so many lives. And I wanted to be a part of that impact.” Read bios of our Board of Directors by visiting our About page and scroll down to Meet the GAAD Foundation Leadership.
Ember JS Takes the GAAD Pledge
In case you didn’t hear, the Ember JavaScript project announced, as part of the 10th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, that it would take the GAAD Pledge. They follow after React Native took the inaugural pledge in 2020. Read more from the post by Ember JS’s Melanie Sumner.
GAAD Founding Sponsors
We are eternally grateful to our founding sponsors, Facebook and Google. These are tech companies who believe in our mission and vision and who have chosen to step forward early on with generous financial support as the foundation takes flight. Is your company aligned with the mission and vision of the GAAD Foundation? Contact Chris Gaulin if you want to step forward and be counted as a Founding Sponsor.
