Mia Giancola, a 2026 Library of Congress Junior Fellow, is spearheading the "Year of Magnification" initiative within the IT Design & Development Directorate's Digital Accessibility Team. This annual educational program focuses on enhancing digital access for various populations, including those with low vision, blind users, older adults, and smartphone users.
As part of her work, Giancola developed an interactive game designed to illustrate how magnification tools impact digital content access, including library resources and collections. She emphasized the importance of features like pinch and zoom, which many people use daily, for improving user experience.
Giancola, a senior at the University of Connecticut (UConn), is pursuing honors degrees in social work and sociology, with a minor in human development and family science. Her background includes efforts to establish a Disability Cultural Center at UConn and extensive volunteer work with children with disabilities. She plans to pursue a master's in educational policy, advocating for widespread digital accessibility skills to be taught and embraced globally.
"I am endlessly thankful for the Digital Accessibility Team and their support in creating the 'Year of Magnification' game, and I look forward to everyone playing it," Mia Giancola said. She added, "I love teaching others about accessibility. It is great to see learners get engaged, inspired, and spark dialogue." Giancola advised future fellows to "Be prepared to learn," acknowledging the vastness of the Library of Congress and the continuous opportunities for growth.