Last updated:05/01/2026
The 2026 Disability Awareness Calendar brings together disability awareness months, weeks, and days recognized in the United States and around the world. Organizations can use these observances to plan inclusive communications, training, employee engagement, and accessibility initiatives throughout the year. Maintained by Microassist’s Accessibility in the News team, this calendar is updated to help teams stay aware of key dates and align their outreach with the communities they serve.
Throughout the year, we will share updates and events to raise awareness and celebrate the impact the ADA continues to have.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 21, 2026)
Global Accessibility Awareness Day was launched in 2012 by Joe Devon and Jennison Asuncion to encourage more people to talk, think, and learn about digital access and inclusion. The observance focuses on how people with disabilities use websites, applications, mobile tools, documents, video, and other digital content, and why accessibility needs to be considered from the start of design and development.
Organizations often use GAAD as a point in the year to launch accessibility training, review internal digital accessibility practices, share employee resources, or begin a more structured improvement effort. For teams building an annual accessibility calendar, GAAD is the most recognized moment in the year to move from planning to doing.
Make Accessibility a Priority All Year
As you engage with our Disability Awareness Calendar, it’s important to ensure your digital products are accessible. Unsure where your organization stands on accessibility compliance? Microassist offers digital accessibility consulting, audits, and remediation for federal, state, and private sector teams.
Disability Awareness 2026 Calendar
Scroll to Monthly Events
January | February | March| April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
January
- World Braille Day – January 4
- Paget’s Awareness Day – January 11
- Race Against Dementia Day – January 21
- Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day – January 24
- World Leprosy Day – January 25
- Stroke Prevention Day – January 29
- Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Awareness Day – January 30
- Braille Literacy Month – January
- Glaucoma Awareness Month – January
February
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day – February 2
- World Cancer Day – February 4
- Tinnitus Awareness Week – February 2-9
- International Epilepsy Day – February 9
- World Encephalitis Day – February 22
- Eating Disorder Awareness Week – February 23 – March 1
- Anosmia Awareness Day – February 27
- Rare Disease Day – February 28
- Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Low Vision Awareness Month – February
- Raynaud’s Awareness Month – February
March
- Zero Discrimination Day – March 1
- National Self Harm Awareness Day – March 1
- International Wheelchair Day – March 1
- Dyscalculia Awareness Day – March 3
- World Glaucoma Week – March 8-14
- University Mental Health Day – March 12
- World Down Syndrome Day – March 21
- World Tuberculosis Day – March 24
- Purple Day for Epilepsy – March 26
- World Autism Awareness Week (UK) – March 30 – April 6
- Bipolar Awareness Day – March 30
- Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month – March
- Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month – March
- Endometriosis Awareness Month – March
- National Essential Tremor Awareness Month – March
- Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month – March
- Developmental Disabilities Month – March
- Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month – March
April
- World Autism Awareness Day – April 2
- World Bohring-Opitz Syndrome Awareness Day – April 6
- Cusing’s Disease Awareness Day – April 8
- World Parkinson’s Day (UK) – April 11
- International Guide Dog Day – April 29
- Parkinson’s Awareness Month – April
- Autism Acceptance Month – April
- IBS Awareness Month – April
- Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month – April
May
- International Cri du Chat Awareness Day – May 5
- Fibromyalgia Awareness Day – May 12
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day – May 21
- World Multiple Sclerosis Day – May 30
- ALS Awareness Month – May
- Mental Health Awareness Month – May
- Arthritis Awareness Month – May
- National Stroke Awareness Month – May
- Syringomyelia Awareness Month – May
June
- The Longest Day (Alzheimer’s Awareness) – June 21
- Dravet Syndrome Awareness Day – June 23
- National PTSD Awareness Day – June 27
- Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month – June
- Dravet Syndrome Awareness Month – June
- National Employee Wellness Month – June
- Cataract Awareness Month – June
July
- Disability Awareness Day – July 12
- American Disabilities Act 36th Anniversary – July 26
- Disability Pride Month – July
- Williams Syndrome Awareness Month – July
August
- International Assistance Dog Week – Begins the First Sunday in August
- National Purple Heart Day – August 7
- National Senior Citizen’s Day (U.S) – August 21
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month – August
- National Immunization Awareness Month – August
- Back to School Resources, New Guidance on Supporting Students with Disabilities
September
- Colour Blindness Awareness Day (UK) – September 6
- World Alzheimer’s day – September 21
- International Week of the Deaf 2025 – September 20-26
- International Day of Sign Languages – September 23
- Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Day – September 30
- World Alzheimer’s Month – September
October
- World Cerebral Palsy Day – October 6
- World Sight Day – October 8
- World Mental Health Day – October 10
- White Cane Awareness Day – October 15
- WordPress Accessibility Day – October
- Invisible Disabilities Week – October 18-24
- National Disability Employment Awareness Month – October
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Awareness Month – October
- Down Syndrome Awareness Month – October
- Dyslexia Awareness Month – October
- Spina Bifida Awareness Month – October
November
- International Stress Awareness Week – November 2-6
- Global Usability Day – November 12
- World Diabetes Day – November 14
- World COPD Day – November 18
- Epilepsy Awareness Month – November
- Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month – November
December
- World AIDS Day – December 1
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities – December 3
- Human Rights Day – December 10
- International Day of Epidemic Preparedness – December 27
How to Use This Calendar in Your Organization
Communications and HR teams use awareness dates to anchor internal programming. Employee resource group events, newsletter features, manager toolkits, and organization-wide recognition campaigns all benefit from being planned around a shared calendar. This works best when it is built into an annual content plan early, rather than discovered the week before an observance.
The observances on this calendar are most meaningful when the digital environments your employees and customers use every day are actually accessible to everyone.
Why Making Knowledge Accessible Matters
More than one in four adults in the United States has a disability, a reminder that accessibility is not a niche concern but a core part of how organizations communicate, train, and deliver digital services. For many people with disabilities, online content can still create barriers when it is not designed to be understood, navigated, and used by everyone.
If your team is ready to move from awareness to action, Microassist provides accessibility audit services, accessible content remediation, and accessibility training. If your website needs an audit, we can help.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention press release, August 16, 2018.
FAQ
When is Disability Awareness Month?
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month in the United States. July is recognized internationally as Disability Pride Month. March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Each addresses a distinct community and policy focus.
What is Global Accessibility Awareness Day?
GAAD falls on the third Thursday in May (May 21 in 2026). It exists to focus attention on digital access, the experience of using a website, app, or digital document when you have a disability. Founded in 2012 as a developer-community initiative.
What is the difference between Disability Pride Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month?
Disability Pride Month is observed in July and is closely tied to the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990. It centers disability identity, culture, history, and pride. National Disability Employment Awareness Month is observed each October and is a federal recognition focused on the contributions of disabled workers and the importance of inclusive employment practices.
How do organizations recognize these dates effectively?
The most effective recognition connects awareness to action. Organizations use dates like GAAD and National Disability Employment Awareness Month to launch accessibility audits, deliver accessibility training for staff, and review digital content for WCAG and Section 508 compliance. Accessible communications matter too — internal newsletters, event announcements, and training materials should meet the same standards as your public-facing content. A disability awareness observance is most meaningful when the digital environments behind it are actually accessible to everyone.
Ready to move from awareness to action? Microassist offers accessibility audit services and accessibility training for teams at every stage.
Subscribe to Accessibility in the News
Stay informed! Get your weekly update on digital accessibility standards, private and public sector trends, litigation, events, and more.