Accessibility for Children Community Group | Newsletter 2025

A11Y4Kids Newsletter

 January 2025
 Dear Accessibility for Children Community Group participants,

Thank you so much for your contributions to the group this year! We are very grateful this group is sustainable and always learning from innovative techniques and research wisdom.

Your expertise, ideas, and dedication have made a tangible impact as we continue to champion accessibility for children worldwide. Together, we've explored innovative techniques, shared groundbreaking research, and pushed the boundaries of what's possible in inclusive design.

As we look ahead to next year, we're excited to build on the momentum we've created. With new projects, thought-provoking discussions, and opportunities for collaboration, 2025 promises to be another year of growth and progress. We can't wait to work alongside each of you to continue making a difference for children everywhere.

We are looking forward to meeting you all next year!

Warm regards,
 Co-chair Maud Stiernet
Co-chair Thea Eaton
 Open Captions Banner featuring a vibrant and symbolic set of tiles that represent the global nature and inclusive values of the Accessibility for Children Community Group.

A white tulip and windmill on a blue background, symbolizing the Netherlands. A red maple leaf on a white background, representing Canada. A tricolor flag in black, red, and yellow, symbolizing Belgium, accompanied by a waffle icon for a fun cultural nod. Two pink hands signing sign language in white, highlighting the group's commitment to ASL inclusion. A tricolor flag symbolizing Germany.The word LOVE in typography with Braille dots suprtimposed. The Union Jack, representing the United Kingdom. A traditional British guardsman in a red uniform and tall black hat, symbolizing British culture. A red flag with a yellow star and four smaller stars, symbolizing China. A kangaroo on a yellow and green background, representing Australia. A cherry blossom represnting Japan. A lotus representing India. A tile with the words hallå, representing Sweden.

This visually rich banner conveys the group's international representation and dedication to accessibility, cultural inclusivity, and collaboration.
In This Newsletter
The 2024 Year in Review
 * New Branding!
 * Last meeting Review of Carl the Collector
 * 2025 Agenda Topics
 * New Meeting Format
 * Join the accessibility for children community group
The 2024 Year in Review
 This year, our group made remarkable progress in ensuring accessibility for children. We actively contributed to the WCAG 3 review, providing feedback to better represent children's needs in accessibility guidelines.

Our efforts also included the creation of a comprehensive resource folder, featuring feedback on existing tools and resources, and the launch of a new AI folder to explore innovative ways artificial intelligence can enhance accessibility.

We delved into cognitive accessibility for children, focusing on safety, executive functions, and accessible design patterns. Our educational presentations for assistive technology specialists covered universal design certifications, accessible data formats, and tools to improve educational outcomes for children.

As we look forward to 2025, we're excited to build on these achievements, collaborate with our growing community, and continue driving progress for children's accessibility.
New Branding!
 We're excited to share the first look at our new branding for the Accessibility for Children Community Group! This design features expandable tiles that represent the countries of our members, celebrating the global collaboration that drives our work. We've also begun developing a set of child-friendly accessibility icons, such as self-voicing and simplified versions of standard symbols. These icons aim to meet the unique needs of young users and will eventually be made available for free in the Figma vector libraries.

This branding will also help us dive into social media, enabling us to connect with a wider audience and spread awareness about children's accessibility. The design reflects our mission to create inclusive digital experiences and will be instrumental in building an engaged, global community.

This branding is still a work in progress, and we'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Your input will help ensure our design truly reflects the diversity and creativity of our community. We will present the first draft in our next meeting.
 Open Captions Banner image featuring a colorful and dynamic set of tiles showing: An ear with a cochlear implant, symbolizing auditory accessibility. A yellow square with a CC icon indicating closed captions for media accessibility. Closed eyes, representing visual calmness. A brown guide dog wearing a harness, symbolizing mobility assistance. A series of alternating white and orange squares with ASL signs for sign language. The word LOVE in typography with Braille letters superimposed. A hand pressing a switch device representing digital accessibility.

This vibrant banner illustrates the group's core values of inclusion, innovation, and love for making the digital world accessible to all children.
Last Meeting: Review of Carl the Collector
 In our recent session, we delved into the accessibility aspects of the children's show Carl the Collector. Participants shared insights on how well the show represents characters with disabilities and discussed areas for improvement, such as making behaviors and traits more authentic to children on the autism spectrum. We also explored how thoughtful storytelling can foster inclusivity and engagement for all viewers. This discussion highlighted the importance of designing content that resonates with diverse audiences, including children with unique needs. You can read and leave comments in the meeting notes below:
 W3C A11Y4Kids | Carl the Collector (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q1unE2aMm9x-Lw4PvbKoKGe6eh3XRZWYM1BFOyQKLhc/edit?usp=sharing)
 Open Captions Carl the raccoon is standing in front of his house, holding two jars full of colorful treasures he collected. Carl is wearing green shorts and a sweater with a fun diamond pattern. Behind him are his animal friends: a pink bunny in a yellow dress, a beaver in a cozy green jacket and orange hat, and a small gray animal in a sporty outfit. The house has a red roof, flowers, and trees around it, and the bright sky makes it look like a happy day. The PBS Kids logo is in the corner.
2025 Agenda Topics
 In 2025, we would like to organize monthly meetings instead of every two weeks. Additionally, we will schedule three or four extra meetings without a planned agenda so we can discuss internal or organizational topics or any new ideas you would like to reflect on.

Topics will be announced in advance, and extra time will focus on social media initiatives and organizing resources. Don't forget to check out our exciting plans for WCAG 3 feedback and AI in accessibility!

Please find a link to the draft agenda for the year below:
W3C A11Y4Kids | Draft Agenda 2025 (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O7FS3AJI7xeOPzet31eRResbHFoBdZy-bUiH4e60FSo/edit?usp=sharing)

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or if you think about a topic you would like to add to the agenda.
New Meeting Format
 In 2025, we are planning on changing the meeting format. In order to accommodate all members across different time zones. Each monthly meeting will be held asynchronously.

Each meeting will begin with our regular Zoom session, and meeting invites will go out the Monday before.

To streamline note-taking, we are proposing to use Otter.ai to record and transcribe the meetings. Otter.ai will generate summaries and outlines without attributing specific comments to individuals, ensuring privacy while still keeping everyone informed. Participants can opt out as well.

After the meeting, everyone will have 7 days to review and add comments to the shared Google Doc, allowing everyone to participate and add their input. This new structure gives everyone more time to prepare, collaborate, and contribute meaningfully. After these 7 days the meeting will be archived. The topic can be brought back in a next meeting.

See you on our first meeting of the New Year on the third Thursday of January, January 16th 2025!
New Mission Statement
 Our Goal: The W3C Accessibility for Children Community Group is committed to making web content and tools accessible and engaging for all children, with a special focus on inclusion and representation of children with disabilities.

Why It Matters: Children have unique needs in terms of cognitive development, motor skills, and language comprehension, which differ from adults. Digital technology is often created by adults for adults and requires additional design considerations to meet children's needs effectively.

Who We Are: Our group brings together a passionate community of experts, developers, educators, parents, caregivers, and accessibility advocates to shape inclusive web standards and solutions for children.

Our mission is to research, identify, and promote best practices that ensure all children can access, understand, and interact with web content effectively.

Join us We collaborate with organizations dedicated to children's inclusion and online engagement. We invite all who are passionate about accessible technology for children to join us in shaping a more inclusive web.

Joining the Accessibility for Children Community Group (https://www.w3.org/community/accessibility4children/join)
 Copyright © 2024 W3C Accessibility for Children Community Group.
The W3C Accessibility for Children Community Group is dedicated to advancing accessibility standards and practices for children in digital environments. Our mission is to ensure that all children, regardless of their abilities, can access, understand, and enjoy online content.

www.w3.org/community/accessibility4children/ (https://www.w3.org/community/accessibility4children/)