From Conference to Industry Association

How does an annual accessibility conference grow into a national industry association with real policy influence? Join us for an inspiring and practical conversation about what it takes to scale an accessibility-focused initiative into an organization with national reach and impact.

In this session, we will explore the journey of evolving from a one-time event into a structured, sustainable, and strategic industry body. We'll share lessons learned and insights gained along the way, including:

• Identifying your target audience and building meaningful connections
• Managing and growing membership while maintaining community focus
• Raising your national profile and becoming a recognized voice in accessibility
• Choosing a focus and setting boundaries to stay aligned with your mission
• Transitioning from an annual in-person event to ongoing virtual programming
• Balancing funding, sustainability, and organizational costs
• Building advocacy capacity and influencing digital accessibility policy

Whether you’re part of a grassroots initiative, a community event organizer, or someone passionate about accessibility advocacy, this session offers actionable strategies for scaling impact and making a difference.

Thanks to our sponsors:

• GoDaddy
• Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker
• Your Business here! Learn about sponsorship

Event Details:
This meetup will be held at U.S. 5 PM Pacific which is 7 PM U.S. Central, and 10 AM AEST and 5:30 AM IST the next day.

RSVP to receive the link.

Accessibility & Accommodations:
This meetup will be held virtually over Zoom and live captioned.

We're working to secure sponsors so that we can offer ASL interpretation.

All are welcome to attend. If you need specific accommodations to make this meetup work for you, please contact an organizer via the messaging feature in Meetup or email meetup (at) equalizedigital.com and we will try our best to accommodate you.

Code of Conduct:
Please note that this group is a welcoming space for all and all members must follow the WordPress Online Code of Conduct.

By RSVPing to this meetup, you agree to abide by these guidelines. If you have concerns that the Online Code of Conduct is not being followed, please contact an organizer.