This article was written by OZeWAI member Ricky Onsman and was originally published on the TPGi website. It has been edited to emphasise events that take place in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, or online, plus some events located elsewhere, all of which may be of interest to Australian digital accessibility professionals.
TPGi maintains a calendar of tech events for three main purposes.
- for possible inclusion in our monthly internal newsletter
- for TPGi team members to consider attending
- for TPGi team members to consider submitting presentation proposals to
We’ve gathered this information from a variety of sources, largely because we haven’t found a single source that lists events like these. There are some good lists of some of these events, like the very good list of Upcoming Accessibility Events compiled by Web Axe, and there are a few lists of tech conferences of all kinds, such as the massive list at Developer Conferences (968, at last count).
We couldn’t find a list that suited our purposes, though, so we compiled our own. If it’s useful to you, as well, then that’s a bonus.
The thing about these lists is that they take constant maintenance to keep up to date. We do that mostly by tracking organizer websites using RSS feeds.
So, this post really has two lists. First come the events scheduled for Jan-Dec 2024.
Then there’s a second list of older events from 2023 that haven’t yet been scheduled but are likely to be.
We’ll update those older events in our in-house version as they’re confirmed but this post is more of a snapshot that we thought might be useful at the start of the working year. If it’s popular we might make it an annual post.
Of course, if you organize or know of an event that fits our focus and you think should be included, use the comments field to suggest it. Otherwise, feel free to use the information here as you see fit.
2024 Events calendar
January
- 2023 Digital Accessibility Lawsuit Recap, January 10, online
After years of steady growth in digital accessibility lawsuits, has the number of cases filed annually begun to plateau? Experts discuss. - UXnow, January 12-13, New Delhi, India
Annual user experience design conference with local and international speakers and workshop leaders. - UX360 Research Summit, January 30-31, online
Showcases the latest UX and design research – from planning and conducting, to analysis and the implementation of UX insights.
February
- NDC Sydney, February 12-16, Sydney, Australia
Conference for software developers with 77 speakers and 8 workshops on a range of topics. - Ask The Professional, February 15, online
OZeWAI webinar featuring Andrew Arch (Intopia), Rachael Bradley-Montgomery (US Library of Congress) Scott Hollier (Centre for Accessibility) on the development or monitoring of Standards. One of an ongoing monthly series. - STRAT APAC 2024, February 19-20, Bangkok, Thailand
Product design strategy in the Asia-Pacific, with leading practitioners conducting topical workshops. - axe-con, February 20-22, online
Deque’s conference for developers, designers, business users, and accessibility professionals of all experience levels focused on building, testing, and maintaining accessible digital experiences. - Developer Week, February 21-29, San Francisco, USA + online
Join 8,000+ professionals at the world’s largest developer & engineering expo + conference. - ZeroCon24, February 21-23, Vienna, Austria + online
The Zero Project Conference is a unique global meeting place to innovate for disability inclusion, with 1,000 invited attendees from 100 countries plus an online audience of 10,000. - Perth Web Accessibility Camp 2024, February 29, Perth, Australia + online
Come and join accessibility professionals, students, developers, designers and managers as we learn how to make digital products accessible to everyone.
March
- Ability Summit, March 7, online
Microsoft’s one-day, free digital event experience celebrates people with disabilities, allies, and accessibility leaders who will provide learning opportunities at the event. - CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, March 18-22, Anaheim, USA
A platform for researchers, practitioners, educators, exhibitors and more from around the world, to engage with each other and share knowledge, innovations, and best practices to promote inclusion for all. - UX Thailand, March 23, Bangkok, Thailand
Speakers with stunning expertise to elevate your skills. Pre-conference online, post-conference workshop. - WOW Summit, March 26-27, Hong Kong, China
The World of Web Summit aims to bridge the leading players in Web2 and Web3 space with the global community, providing an exclusive platform for high-class networking with industry leaders.
April
- AI in Web Design Conference ’24, April 2-3, online
How to supercharge productivity and creativity with Artificial Intelligence in UI/UX projects. - UXinsight Festival 24, April 15-17, Breda, Netherlands + online
A UXR conference for everyone passionate about UX research. As the UX research field matures, collaborations expand, and AI reshapes processes, adaptability is key. - Women in Tech Global 2024, April 23-25, online
Brings together women in tech, minorities, and allies from all over the world, on a range of disciplines and interests, including product development, UX, and design. - GIDS 2024, April 23-26, Bengaluru, India
The Great International Developer Summit has a four-day program brimming with technical brilliance, captivating conversations, and visionary insights. - ACCESS 2024, April 30-May 1, online
This free, two-day event brings together key industry leaders, experts, and professionals from various fields to delve into the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in accessibility.
May
- IMPACT 2024, May 8-9, Melbourne, Australia
Disability Confidence Awards and the Annual Conference of the Australian Disability Network. - Web4All 2024, May 13-14, Singapore, Singapore
21st international conference for web accessibility research, co-located with the W3C WebConf24 conference. - John Slatin AccessU, May 13-16, Austin, USA + online
Knowbility annual conference where tech professionals, content creators, policymakers, and advocates come together for deep learning in accessible digital design. - The Web Conference, May 13-17, Singapore, Singapore
Formerly known as International World Wide Web Conference (WWW) this is a yearly international academic conference on the topic of the future direction of the World Wide Web. - Global Accessibility Awareness Day, May 16, global
The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than 0ne billion people with disabilities/impairments. - 2024 Round Table Conference, May 18-21, Perth, Australia
Technical research, presentations and practical workshops on issues related to accessibility, focused on persons with print disabilities. - Annual Accessibility Conference 2024: Building Knowledge, Breaking Barriers!, May 29-31, online
The University of Guelph hosts this annual event that raises awareness and encourages action across the education, government, and private sectors to make communications, services, education, and spaces inclusive and accessible.
June
- UI/UX Global Summit ’24, June 11-12, online
Online conference for UI/UX designers about latest tech trends in UI/UX.
July
- IXDC 2024, July 17-21, Beijing, China
Interaction design conference with major speakers that gives full play to the role of “design diplomacy” to connect China and the world. - HighEdWeb 2024 Accessibility Summit, July 30, online
Digital accessibility in higher education: learn best practices, share stories with your peers and expand your knowledge on a wide range of accessibility topics.
August
- UXDX APAC 2024, August 13-15, online
The conference that breaks down the barriers between Product, UX, Design and Dev so you can build better products, faster, together. - AITCAP 2024, August 27, Melbourne, Australia
The Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Conference (AITCAP) is Australia’s primary event for the accessible tourism sector. - UX Australia 2024, August 27–30, Melbourne, Australia + online
Focuses on UX, product and service design, and the surrounding disciplines of research, content, operations, management, and more.
September
- UXDG Summit 2024, September 4-5, online
Explores a wide range of topics from innovative design thinking processes, product design strategies, to user research and testing through a series of presentations, panel discussions and interactive workshops. - SmashingConf Freiburg, September 9–11, Freiburg, Germany + online
All about front-end, UX and design — for front-end developers and designers. With adventures into design systems, accessibility, CSS, JavaScript, web performance and cutting-edge techniques. - Dev Day Aotearoa 2024, September 12, Auckland, New Zealand
Full day of education, networking, and inspiration, with top-tier engineering professionals, technical practitioners, and industry leaders from across our nation.
October
- SmashingConf New York, October 7–10, New York, USA + online
A safe, inclusive, and friendly conference for designers and developers. - Design + Accessibility Summit, October 8–11, online
A how-to event for design professionals who need to master accessibility. - WordPress Accessibility Day, October 9-10, online
24-hour global event dedicated to promoting and learning website accessibility best practices for WordPress websites. - M-Enabling Summit, October 15-17, Washington DC, USA + online
Features roundtable and panel discussions, open conversations with innovators and disrupters in digital inclusion, networking meetups, brainstorming and live debates among disability advocacy leaders, business executives, accessibility experts, and information technology and assistive technology providers. - Closing The Gap, October 21-25, Minneapolis, USA + online
42nd Annual Conference on assistive technology in special education, rehabilitation, and everyday living
November
- Accessing Higher Ground, November 11-15, Denver, USA + online
Accessible media, web and technology conference focusing on the university, business, and public setting. - ICEVI World Conference 2024, November 14-17, Ahmedabad, India
World Conference and General Assembly of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment
December
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3, global
The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy provides the foundation for sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion. Australian events. - Sight Tech Global, December 4-5, online
Free global conference dedicated to fostering discussion among technology pioneers on how rapid advances in AI and related technologies will fundamentally alter the landscape of assistive technology and accessibility. - YOW! Melbourne 2024, December 5-6, Melbourne, Australia
Brings together internationally recognized speakers and developers for an in-depth look at emerging technologies and best practices in the software industry – regardless of technological platform or language. - YOW! Brisbane 2024, December 9-10, Brisbane, Australia
Brings together internationally recognized speakers and developers for an in-depth look at emerging technologies and best practices in the software industry – regardless of technological platform or language. - YOW! Sydney 2024, December 12-13, Sydney, Australia
Brings together internationally recognized speakers and developers for an in-depth look at emerging technologies and best practices in the software industry – regardless of technological platform or language.
Older Events
Here are the events from our 2023 calendar that haven’t yet been updated, scheduled or confirmed.
May 2023
- A11y Bytes, May 18, Melbourne & Sydney, Australia
A dynamic fast-paced evening of lightning talks about digital accessibility and the needs and preferences of users with disabilities, held to celebrate GAAD.
June 2023
- Web Directions Code, June 8-9, Melbourne, Australia
Covers the technologies (JavaScript, the React ecosystem, CSS, browser APIs), and practices (privacy, security, performance, platform engineering and operations, and more) that underpin today’s websites and apps. (next June 2024)
Aug 2023
- Audio Description Institute, August 14-18, online
The American Council of the Blind’s online learning opportunity for people interested in working in audio description. - Crystal Con, August 23-24, online
A free accessibility conference established by Crystal Preston-Watson to explore the topic of digital accessibility beyond the confines of code, design, and content. - Web Accessibility in Mind Conference, August 29–30, online
Presented by WebAIM in partnership with Pope Tech, this virtual conference will provide conference participants with content that will help them mature their practice in digital accessibility. - AAATE 2023, August 30-September 1, Paris, France
The 17h International Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe.
Sep 2023
- Accessibility Scotland, September 8, Edinburgh, Scotland
A single-track event with a mix of speakers – new and familiar, on a range of topics all related to accessibility and diversity, inclusive design, and development. - ABLE Summit, September 14-15, Beirut, Lebanon
Shedding light on Digital Accessibility in Higher Education, a national-level ripple effect event, featuring renowned speakers from global leading organizations. - Inclusive Design 24, September 21, global
A free 24-hour online event celebrating inclusive design and sharing knowledge and ideas from analogue to digital, from design to development, from planners to practitioners, and everything and everyone in between. - The UX Conf, September 13, London, UK + online
No waffle, no slides UX design conference. Instead of theoretical talks, speakers show how they use UX & UI design tools. - World Interaction Design Day 2023: Ethics, Equity, + Responsibility, September 26, global
The Interaction Design Association’s annual event where we come together as a united global community to show how interaction design improves the human condition. - WordPress Accessibility Day 2023), September 27-28, global
A free 24-hour online global event dedicated to promoting and learning website accessibility best practices for WordPress websites.
Oct 2023
- A2Y Conference, October 19, online
This virtual conference is designed to bring participants together to engage in inspiring discussions, share best practices, and foster a more inclusive environment for all. - #a11yWeekTO, October 19-21, Toronto, Canada
#a11yTO Conf 10/19-20 (a curated playlist of talks, focused on digital accessibility) and #a11yTO Gaming 10/21 (a one day event for accessible gaming). - ASSETS 2023, October 22-25, New York, USA
Forum for presenting research on the design, evaluation, use, and education related to computing for people with disabilities and older adults. - Web Directions Summit, October 26-27, Sydney, Australia
For the whole digital team – product, design, developers, content: everyone! (next Nov/Dec 2024) - , October 30, Melbourne, Australia
The Australian Federation of Disability Organisation’s annual conference.
Nov 2023
- Sharkvember, November, online
A month-long celebration of creativity, accessibility, and community by our colleagues at Freedom Scientific, makers of JAWS, ZoomText and Fusion. Events include Next Big Thing, Shortcuts, webinars, and the FS OpenLine. - ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium, November 1-2, Washington DC, USA
Annual gathering of people who are interested in the practice and advancement of accessibility testing of Information and Communication Technologies. - Accessing Higher Ground, November 6-10, Denver, USA
Conference focusing on accessible media, universal design and assistive technology in the university, business and public settings. - Interagency Accessibility Forum, November 7-9, Arlington, USA
A venue for federal accessibility professionals, developers, designers, project managers, leadership and many others to exchange best practices in managing and implementing digital accessibility imperatives including Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. - World Usability Day 2023, November 9, global
Collaboration and Cooperation: in order to solve the world’s biggest problems, we all have to work together. In 2023, we will focus working together to create solutions, both globally and locally. - AbilityNet TechShare Pro, November 14-15, London, UK
Europe’s largest gathering of accessibility and inclusion professionals and their allies. - Evaluating Accessibility: Meeting Key Challenges, November 16, online
The WAI invites researchers, academics, industry, government, and people with disabilities to join them at this symposium to explore practices and challenges monitoring and evaluating digital accessibility. - 2023 Australian Access Awards , November 22, Perth, Australia
The Centre for Accessibility Australia recognises organisations and individuals demonstrating extraordinary commitment and delivering exceptional outcomes for Australians living with disability. - Green Digital Accessibility, November 30-December 1, Barcelona, Spain + online
A platform to bridge work in digital media, communication and environmental studies, with a particular focus on the role of accessibility in the green transition.
Dec 2023
- Sight Tech Global , December 6-7, online
Global virtual conference on how rapid advances in AI and related technologies will fundamentally alter the landscape of assistive technology and accessibility. - Inclusive India: Digital First, December 14, New Delhi, India
Learn, share and network with thought leaders and experts focusing on inclusion and accessibility in the Digital First ecosystem. (next December 2024 in Bengaluru, India).
Originally published in longer form: https://www.tpgi.com/tech-events-calendar