WordPress powers over 43% of sites on the internet today, making it a powerhouse web technology. Its simplicity attracted bloggers and do-it-yourselfers who navigate the platform by Googling code snippets. That knowledge gap comes with a whole host of accessibility issues.

Amber Hinds, Founder and CEO at Equalize Digital, quit her part-time gig as a freelance developer when she found WordPress was an easier way to manage content. She's been doing accessibility work on the platform since 2016 and has seen a boom in the past two years of companies searching for accessibility experts. Amber built the Accessibility Checker plugin as a guardrail to help DIYers avoid common mistakes by auditing a site and flagging accessibility issues. The plugin is also an education tool for content managers, and developers to learn about accessibility.

In this episode, Amber talks to Chuck and Robbie about web accessibility on WordPress, making accessibility a priority in colleges and boot camps, and RVing around the country with her family.

Key Takeaways

Quotes

[08:43] - "I think the recent number that I saw was that 43% of websites are built in WordPress." ~ Amber Hinds [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberhinds/]

[23:53] - "I feel like having more general visibility about the broad range of disabilities and also putting people's faces to things is super helpful." ~ Amber Hinds [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberhinds/]

[28:33] - "Companies need to realize that accessibility is everyone's responsibility." ~ Amber Hinds [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberhinds/]

Links