Soft Launch Announcement

Dear Club Member—I’m thrilled to announce that our website is officially launching today, December 20th, 2024!

This has been an incredibly personal journey for me. Over the past month, I’ve poured countless late-night hours into meticulously designing this website, creating every image myself with AI, and building a space that truly reflects our club’s mission. With the support of my co-managers, we’ve also put together the 2025 Annual Reading List—a curated selection of books informed by your feedback. We hope you’ll love the list and join us for as many books as you can. Be sure to visit the Annual Reading List page and mark the books you plan to read with us—hopefully all of them!

Why Am I Doing This?

The Accessibility Book Club is more than a website; it’s a community built on collaboration, shared knowledge, and inclusivity. To ensure that this space reflects those values, I’m inviting you—our members and accessibility professionals in the field—to review the website and provide feedback.

This is your club, and I want every member to feel a sense of ownership and responsibility in making it the best it can be. Your insights will be invaluable in identifying any barriers and ensuring the site is as inclusive as possible.

How You Can Help

Here’s how you can support this effort:

1. Visit the Website
   The website is now live! I’ll share the link in this post and in the Accessibility Book Club LinkedIn group.
2. Review the Website
   Get out your testing devices and audit the website for accessibility. Test across mobile phones, tablets, desktops, and various operating systems like iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. Use screen readers like VoiceOver, JAWS, and NVDA, and explore the site on different browsers.
3. Accessibility Target
   Our conformance goal is WCAG 2.2 Level AA, along with accessibility best practices. Your feedback on usability, inclusivity, and accessibility is crucial in helping us reach this target.
4. Provide Feedback
   Share your thoughts and findings—constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Are there any barriers? Is the content user-friendly and welcoming? Your input will help make the website a truly inclusive space for all.

A Community Effort

This website is a reflection of our mission:
"To cultivate meaningful conversations, promote lifelong learning, and share invaluable knowledge about digital accessibility and inclusive design."

Our goal is to connect passionate individuals, highlight the work of industry experts, and empower through knowledge—because knowledge drives positive change. But none of this is possible if everyone cannot equally access our website.

Your Call to Action

Club members, here’s your chance to make a difference:

• Be thorough.
• Be gentle.
• And most importantly, share your feedback!

I look forward to hearing from all of you and working together to ensure the Accessibility Book Club website becomes a space for everyone to learn, connect, and grow.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey and for your support in making our mission a reality.