#a11yTO

A bold white headline reading “FEBRUARY 2026 SOCIAL” appears across the top of a dusk city street scene. The background shows storefront windows glowing with warm amber and neon lights against deep blue and purple evening tones. In the lower left, yellow-orange text reads: “Reflecting on Our Accessibility Journey in 2025,” followed by “February 12th 2026,” “6:00PM–8:00PM,” and “Firkin on Yonge (Upstairs).” The overall mood feels warm, urban, and inviting.

FEBRUARY 2026 SOCIAL — This evening
Join the #a11yTO community this evening for a relaxed, in-person gathering focused on connection and reflection. We’ll be looking back on our accessibility journey in 2025.
📍 Firkin on Yonge (upstairs)
⏰ 6–8 PM

A promotional graphic for a11yTO Conf displayed over a photo of the Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC. The background shows a large, multi-storey atrium with balconies, lighting rigs, and an audience gathered below. Overlaid text reads “#a11yTO Conf” at the top, followed by “Save the date,” “October 22–23, 2026,” and “Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC.” At the bottom, the address “250 Front Street West” appears in a rounded label.

Save the date! #a11yTOConf returns to the Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC on Oct 22–23, 2026. Two days of learning + connection with accessibility pros worldwide, with a renewed focus on technical talks and actionable takeaways. More soon!

#A11yTOConf is a wrap!
Huge thanks to everyone who showed up, shared, supported, and celebrated accessibility with us. Until next time—stay bold, stay inclusive! ✨🙌

“Trauma is the sense of being trapped. So, providing choices is huge in a trauma-informed practice.”
— Hitomi Yokota
#A11yTOconf #a11y

Now is time for our last speaker! Here goes Eric Bailey on: It is designed to break your heart: Cultivating a harm reduction mindset as an accessibility practitioner"
This talk references the practice of harm reduction as a methodology to help you sustain your best efforts and avoid burnout.

Up next is Mike Mai on their talk: "Tiny CSS, Big Impact"
Learn the tiny CSS techniques that deliver big accessibility benefits.

Lunch is over!
Now on stage, here's Adrian Roselli with: "Talkin' Tables"
This session will walk through the basics of how to construct an HTML table.

It is now lunch time. Bon appetit!

Coming on up is Albert Gareev on: "Accessiologically: Humanizing Accessibility Compliance Through Experiential Examples"
They share a poetic yet practical take on digital accessibility with “Accessiologically,” exploring emotional, cognitive, and navigational barriers through story and reflection.

Now on stage is Quintin Balsdon with his talk: "Ally Keys: A hardware tool for Mobile Keyboard Accessibility"
Ally Keys is a keyless external keyboard for mobile devices that lets you test keyboard, screen reader, and switch access from your main computer—no extra setup needed!

We are currently on morning break, which is from 10:30 to 11. We'll see you back soon!

Next on our lineup we have Hitomi Yokota on "Trauma-Informed Design Research: Creating Safety in User Engagements on Sensitive Topics"
Design is more than what users see: beyond fonts, colours, and legibility. It’s also about how we engage with people throughout the process.

Starting off our day we've got our first speaker, Daniel Dafoe with his talk: "More Than Screen Readers: The Broader Impact of ARIA"
ARIA supports more than screen readers—like voice control and switch devices. This talk explores its wider impact and tips for building robust, inclusive experiences.

Day 2 of #a11ytoconf is here! Ready for more accessibility insights, inspiration, and innovation? Let’s do this! 💪

Conf day 1 is over and done! We'd like to thank our sponsors, speakers, staff and volunteers for all their hard work. Starting at 7pm at the League Offices (225 King street West, Suite #800) will be our special event- A11yOops. See you there!

And to finish the day, our next speaker is Homer Gaines with his talk: "The Anatomy of an Accessible Chat Interface"
Chat or prompt interfaces are the main entry to AI, but many aren't accessible to everyone. Let’s explore their structure and build a foundation for accessible design.

Coming on up is Ina Tsvetkova with "The Illusion of the Rational User - Misbehavior, Distraction, Mistakes and Accessibility Testing for Real Life"
Ina will show how accessibility testing, guided by cognitive and emotional principles, can make systems more inclusive, predictable, and user-friendly.

We're ahead of schedule by 10 minutes but our next speaker is Morgan Kestner with her talk:
"How to build an A11y support system that works"
Your company has committed to accessibility- but how do you handle the never-ending influx of questions, design reviews, and engineering support at your work?

Next on stage from 2:10 to 3pm is Morgan Kestner on her talk: "How to build an A11y support system that works"
Your company has committed to accessibility—great! But how do you handle the never-ending influx of questions, design reviews, and engineering support at your work?

Up next is Josh Hetrick from 1:30 to 2:10pm with:
"Users know best: Embracing user styles for resilient designs"
By leaning into user customizations instead of resisting them, we can design in a more resilient way that meets users where they are.

It's lunchtime until 1:30pm. Shoutout to Pumpernickel's for the fantastic food we have set up for you to enjoy!

Then from 11:40am to 12pm is Pooja Joshi on her talk:
"From Punchlines to Policy: Storytelling, Visibility, and the Fight to Belong"
In this bold and personal talk, Pooja Joshi—a writer, producer, stand-up comic, and equity leader at CBC—unpacks how storytelling can be a tool for structural change.

Coming up, here's Doug Schepers with "Inclusive Data Visualization with AI Descriptions" from 11 to 11:40am.
Doug will explore dataviz accessibility issues and solutions using ParaCharts, an AI tool focused on personalization, cognitive load, and multimodal access to data.

It's morning break time! We'll be seeing you back at 11am.

Next up, we've got Michele A. Williams from 9:50 to 10:30am with:
"Behind the Insights: How we keep missing disability in UX Research and what to do about it"
As accessibility efforts mature within a team, someone eventually asks, “Can we include disabled people in our research?”

I love that the organizers brought up a representative to bring awareness to the indigenous land that we are on here at the CBC

#A11yTO @a11yto.bsky.social

#FirstNation

Our first speaker, Stewart Hay will be presenting their talk from 9:10 to 9:50 am: "Culture eats Technology for Breakfast"
Tools, audits—even AI—can’t drive digital accessibility alone. Culture eats tech for breakfast. Inclusion scales only with buy-in, leadership, accountability & space to learn.

Good morning, Toronto! We're up and running at the CBC atrium on 250 Front Street West, right across from the CN tower. Come in and register, make yourself comfortable and let's welcome our first speaker, starting at 9:10.
See you soon!

A promotional poster for a11yTO Conf 2025, featuring a photo of a large indoor venue with rows of empty chairs facing a colorful stage. Overhead lighting and trusses are suspended above the stage. Text overlaid on the image reads: "The a11yTO Conf 2025 venue is... 250 Front Street West. 16.10.2025 — 17.10.2025."

We’re teaming up with CBC for #a11yTOConf 2025 — happening Oct 16–17 at 250 Front St W in downtown Toronto! Just steps from the CN Tower, it’s set to be an impactful event.

🎟️ Grab your tickets: tickets.a11yto.com/e/31/a11yto-...
#Accessibility #Toronto

The call for speakers for #A11yTOConf 2025 closes Sunday, June 29th at 11:59pm.

Now's your chance to take the stage and inspire one of the most passionate accessibility communities.

#CallForSpeakers #a11yTO #Accessibility #InclusiveTech #TorontoEvents