Apple celebrates Global Accessibility Awareness Day across its services

Apple Global Accessibility Awareness Day (Image credit: 9to5Mac)

What you need to know

Apple is celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day today.
It is highlighting accessibility across its services.

Apple is celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) across its services.

As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple is highlighting accessibility across Apple Fitness+, the Apple TV app, Apple Books, Apple Maps, and more today. The company is also featuring accessibility on the main page of the Apple website.

The company also recently announced a host of new accessibility features to Apple Support, Apple Watch, and more.

Below are all of the highlights across all of Apple's services:

This week in Apple Fitness+, trainer and award-winning adaptive athlete Amir Ekbatani talks about Apple's commitment to making Fitness+ as accessible and inclusive as possible. Fitness+ features workouts inviting to all, from trainers using sign language in each workout to say "Welcome" or "Great job!," to "Time to Walk" episodes changing to "Time to Walk or Push" for wheelchair workouts on Apple Watch, and all videos include closed captioning. Fitness+ also includes a trainer demonstrating modifications in each workout, so users at all levels can join in.
The Shortcuts for Accessibility Gallery provides useful Siri Shortcuts for tracking medications and supporting daily routines, and a new Accessibility Assistant Shortcut helps people discover Apple's built-in features and resources for personalizing them.
Today at Apple is offering live, virtual sessions in ASL and BSL throughout the day on May 20 that teach the basics of iPhone and iPad for people with disabilities. In some regions, Today at Apple will offer increased availability of Accessibility sessions in stores, through May 30.
In the App Store, customers can read stories about Lucy Edwards, an influencer on TikTok who is blind and shares her favorite accessible apps; App of the Day FiLMiC Pro, which is among the most accessible video apps for blind and low vision filmmakers; and more in the new Express Yourself Your Way collection.
The Apple TV app will spotlight its Barrier-Breaking Characters collection which celebrates authentic disability representation onscreen and behind the camera. It features guest curation from creators and artists like the cast of "Best Summer Ever," who share their favorite movies and shows in an editorial experience designed by American Pop-Op and Urban Folk artist Tennessee Loveless, known for his vibrant illustrations and colorful storytelling told through the lens of his colorblindness.
Apple Books adds reading recommendations from author and disability rights activist Judith Heumann, along with other themed collections.
Apple Maps features new guides from Gallaudet University, the world's premier university for Deaf, hard of hearing, and Deafblind students, that help connect users to businesses and organizations that value, embrace, and prioritize the Deaf community and signed languages.

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.