Ask the Professionals photos of Ricky, Jennison, Julia and Rosie

Accessible Events
1 May 2026

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OZeWAI Ask the Professionals session – 1 May 2026 – Accessible events.

Panelists

Jennison Asuncion (he/him)

Jennison co-founded Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) in 2012, after a blog post by a developer, Joe Devon, who called for such a day of digital accessibility awareness. The event takes place on the third Thursday each May, with 2026 marking the 15th GAAD. On the occasion of the 10th GAAD, Joe and Jennison co-founded the GAAD Foundation, whose mission is to disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement.

A member of the Consumer Technology Association Foundation Board of Trustees, Jennison has been recognized for his industry contributions. These include: featured by Business Insider in 2020 among 30 “power players and rising stars” helping new CEO Ryan Roslansky run LinkedIn recognised in 2023 by his alma mater, Concordia University, as a Benoît Pelland Alumnus of the Year; and named alongside LinkedIn in 2025 to the inaugural Forbes Accessibility 100 List of Top Innovators and Impact Makers in accessibility.

Having worked in the digital a11y industry now for twenty years, Jennison is currently Head of Accessibility Engineering Evangelism at LinkedIn.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennison/

Julia Svaganovic (she/her)

Julia is an inclusive event specialist and Events and Marketing Coordinator at Intopia. An experienced event planner and creative producer, she is passionate about designing events that are accessible, engaging, and inclusive for all participants.

A powerchair user, Julia brings lived experience and over 15 years of event expertise to her work. She previously served as the Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Conference Coordinator at GetAboutAble and spent nine years in key roles running the speculative fiction convention Continuum. She also co-founded the @WeAreDisabled Twitter project, creating a platform for Deaf and Disabled people to amplify their voices and share their stories.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-svaganovic/

Rosie Putland – (she/her)

Rosie is proudly Disabled, Autistic, and the leading force behind Modality Co, a holistic digital accessibility consultancy based in lutruwita/ Tasmania. She is passionate and experienced in working with teams and leaders to develop sustainable, holistic accessibility practices with a strong focus on leading and educating with compassion to empower all to make a more accessible world.
Rosie is known for her ability to create engaging presentations that change perspectives, her unwavering passion for the accessibility and disability community, and her special interest in ducks.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-putland

Moderated by:

Ricky Onsman (he/him)

Ricky is an Australian veteran of accessible web design and development, both locally and internationally, from design agency work, freelancing, auditing, and training, to now writing testing rules, guidance articles and training courses for a global digital accessibility consultancy. He’s been a Committee Member of OZeWAI for over 10 years, is a regular host or panelist on Ask The Professionals webinars, presents on accessibility topics at conferences and meetups, and writes articles on related topics. He presented at CSUN in 2024 on AI and Accessibility, and is currently engaged at Vispero on developing AI tools for knowledge assistance, rules engine development, and accessibility training.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickyonsman/

1 May 2026 – Accessible events

Resources and links

  • ADCET – Accessible Events Resources – Guidance and checklists for accessible events in tertiary and education contexts
  • Dreamforce Accessibility Practices – Salesforce’s public examples of how they make their large conference accessible (search: “Salesforce Dreamforce accessibility resources”)
  • Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) – Global events highlighting digital access & inclusion
  • National Disability Conference Initiative (Australia) – Federal funding program supporting accessibility at disability‑related conferences (search: “National Disability Conference Initiative grant”)
  • OZeWAI – Australian Web Accessibility Initiative – Professional community for digital accessibility in Australia & Asia‑Pacific
  • WordPress Accessibility Day – 24‑hour global online event focused on WordPress & accessibility (search: “WordPress Accessibility Day”)
  • W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) – Resources on accessible presentations and meetings and a business case resource https://www.w3.org/WAI/business-case/
  • Accessible event resources: https://www.spinal.com.au/accessible-australia/
  • Rosie Putland : I love this one from ADCET too 🙂 https://www.adcet.edu.au/resources/inclusive-meetings-and-events
  • Spikeyring with Dual Pads – Kaiko Fidgets Australia Pty Ltd
  • Julia Svaganovic : https://changingplaces.org.au/
  • (Additional local references mentioned: community/neighbourhood houses, libraries, Deaf Connect and other local Deaf organisations, Changing Places facilities, CSUN Assistive Technology Conference.)
  • OZeWAI : An OZeWAI short checklist https://ozewai.org/blog/local-events/creating-inclusive-spaces-a-guide-to-accessible-events/