It’s the new year, and the WP Accessibility Day board is excited to start planning this year’s WordPress Accessibility Day (WPAD) conference. Last year, 2,158 people from 70 countries attended the conference, and this year, we’re hoping to grow the event even further.
Do you want to help make WPAD 2024 amazing?
If you’re interested in supporting free education on accessibility in WordPress, consider helping to organize WordPress Accessibility Day 2024.
WordPress Accessibility Day is a nonprofit, volunteer-run event that relies on a team of organizers from around the community to plan and execute the event. Organizing is an incredibly rewarding experience. Most organizers return year after year and have become good friends. We’d love to have you join us!
What Organizers Do
WordPress Accessibility Day organizing efforts are divided across several teams with distinct roles. Depending upon your skill set or interest area, there is a team for you. Some organizers are on multiple teams, while others are on only one.
Teams do everything from managing our website, writing blog posts and creating graphics to market the event, selecting speakers, finding sponsors, wrangling volunteers and vendors, and more.
Biggest Need Areas
All teams are open, but there are two areas where we know we especially need people for 2024.
On the Marketing Team
This year, we want to have a robust marketing team with multiple people contributing. Designers and copywriters are especially needed. We’re also looking for someone who might be able to lead the team. If you’re experienced with event marketing or leading marketing strategy, we need you!
In APAC
Do you live in an Asia-Pacific timezone? Let’s talk! We are looking to grow representation on the organizing team with people from Asian or southeast Asian countries and Australia/New Zealand. WordPress Accessibility Day is a 24-hour event, and we need your help making it amazing while the Americas-based organizers are sleeping.
The Commitment
Organizing WordPress Accessibility Day is fun, but it also takes a lot of work to ensure we have a great event. Here’s the minimum commitment required for organizers and what to expect:
- Expect to commit an average of 2 hours per week from February-October. Depending on the team(s) you join, some teams are more active at different times of the year. For example, the sponsors team does more earlier in the year, and the post-event team has a lot to do in the weeks following the event.
- Attend bi-weekly Zoom meetings from February through mid-summer, then weekly meetings through the event. Missing some is okay and expected; missing most meetings is problematic unless you’re really active in our Slack and contribute in other ways.
- Participate in our Slack channel and stay up-to-date on what’s relevant to your team.
- Be available for at least part of the event, which will be a Wednesday-Thursday either the first or second week of October.
- Be an advocate for WordPress Accessibility Day and help promote the event on your own social media, website, etc.
- Be a good communicator and follow through on your tasks. Let your team members know if you can’t do something or need help.
Who Can Organize
If you’re interested in supporting WordPress accessibility, you can organize!
There are roles for people with all skill sets:
- Designers
- Developers
- Content Writers
- Social Media Managers
- Spreadsheet Gurus
- People Managers
- Accessibility Testers
You don’t have to be a WordPress or accessibility expert. You don’t have to have previously organized a WordCamp, conference, or event.
All you need is enthusiasm and willingness to work alongside a team of great people who love the WordPress and accessibility community. We’ll support you in your role as needed.
Learn More About Organizing
We are holding two informational sessions via Zoom for people who want to learn more about organizing. Register for a session to learn more.
January 16th Information Session
Time: 10 AM U.S. Central Time (4:00 PM UTC)
January 17th Information Session
Time: 10 PM U.S. Central Time (4:00 AM January 18th UTC)
If neither of these sessions work for you, but you’re interested in organizing, please contact us for alternative information.