Blue Beanie Day 2024

On 30. November 2024 Blue Beanie Day takes place. The day annually celebrates web standards and web accessibility. Since 2006 people around the world change their profile photos on this day and show themselves with blue beanies. The day aims to raise the awareness of the importance of web accessibility.

Web designer Jeffrey Zeldman wrote a book about web standards and wears a blue beanie on the cover. This picture inspired the inventors of the Blue Beanie Day to choose a blue beanie as a sign of web accessibility. They now try to get everyone to take a selfie with a blue beanie and spread the word every year on November 30th. Who does not have blue beanie can also digitally paint or paste one into the picture.

Web accessibility does not only affect people with disabilities. It is also important to provide internet access to all people regardless of their technical capabilities. This includes, for example, the use of the internet via text-only browsers. Also, age-related limitations as poor eyesight issues should be considered.

Web standards play an important role when it comes to web accessibility. It is important that websites can be displayed with any browser. Especially for people with disabilities accessibility is important if they want to, for example, work without a computer mouse.

To ensure web accessibility not only on Blue Beanie Day, there are a lot of options. Videos with sign language can convey the contents of the deaf. For better readability in poor eyesight, scalability can be used. In general, well-structured texts and clear contrasts are very useful. Since 1999, there are official guidelines on accessibility of online content.