A11y Hour with Amber Hinds

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

• [00:35] - An intro to Amber Hinds.
• [00:54] - A whiskey review - Weller Special Reserve.
• [07:49] - What it's like working with WordPress in 2022 compared to earlier years.
• [10:47] - Amber gives an overview of WordPress.
• [13:36] - Amber explains unique accessibility problems in WordPress.
• [15:47] - How Equalize Digital's plug-in audits WordPress sites.
• [21:55] - Amber's thoughts on how to make accessibility a priority.
• [35:33] - Chuck and Amber talk about RV life and being on the show, "Going RV".

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

• Amber Hinds LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberhinds/]
• Amber Hinds Twitter [https://mobile.twitter.com/heyamberhinds]
• Amber Hinds [https://amberhinds.com/]
• Equalize Digital [https://equalizedigital.com/]
• WordPress [https://wordpress.com/]
• Accessibility Checker [https://www.accessibilitychecker.org/]
• Weller Special Reserve [https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/w-l-weller/w-l-weller-special-reserve.html]
• Pappy Van Winkle [https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/van-winkle.html]
• Maker's Mark [https://www.makersmark.com/]
• Buffalo Trace Distillery [https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/]
• React [https://reactjs.org/]
• Absolut Vodka [https://www.absolut.com/]
• Shopify [https://www.shopify.com/]
• Square Space [https://www.squarespace.com/]
• Drupal [https://www.drupal.org/]
• Matt Mullenweg [https://ma.tt/]
• Automattic [https://automattic.com/]
• Magic Mouse [https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK2E3AM/A/magic-mouse-white-multi-touch-surface]
• Logitech Lift [https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/lift-vertical-ergonomic-mouse.html]
• Mac [https://www.apple.com/lae/mac/]
• Darci USB [https://www.specialneedscomputers.ca/index.php?l=product_detail&p=4948]