Knowbility has opened registration for its annual Accessibility Internet Rally (AIR) competition, inviting tech professionals to participate in a web design contest aimed at enhancing digital accessibility for people with disabilities. The event, which began in 1998, challenges participants to create accessible websites for nonprofit and arts organizations worldwide.
Sharron Rush, co-founder and Executive Director of Knowbility, emphasized the importance of the event: “Digital accessibility can be intimidating and downright scary for some people and businesses. AIR simplifies the issue by presenting accessibility in the context of a fun, friendly, web raising competition.”
The competition runs from mid-September over eight weeks. Teams will receive training from global experts and build websites judged on accessibility and clarity. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in January.
Dave Dauber will chair AIR 2025. He expressed his enthusiasm: “When nominated as the chairperson for AccessU 2025… I wanted to help answer the question from the participants at AccessU of, ‘How do we implement accessibility?’ That’s where the AIR comes in.”
Key dates include September 13 for registration closure and November 21 for site submission. The awards ceremony is scheduled for January 16.
Registration is open to nonprofits seeking website improvements, web professionals interested in accessible design, seasoned mentors, judges, and sponsors like Google and Monkee-Boy.
Knowbility continues its mission through education programs like AccessU and awareness initiatives such as AIR. The organization emphasizes digital inclusion’s importance as one in ten Austinites live with a disability.
Information from this article can be found here.
