I have over 20 years of experience as a professional web developer, both as a freelancer and in organizations settings. I specialize in custom themes, modules, and plugins for WordPress and Drupal, and have made numerous contributions to both.
My experience with digital accessibility began in 2013 when I was the website manager for Holy Names University in Oakland, California (now sadly defunct). Belo Cipriani, who was writer-in-residence at the time, asked me to build an online literary journal for his students to display their work. He introduced me to JAWS, his preferred screen reader, and I began to research the basics of writing code that would not present barriers to assistive technology.
In the years since, I have fully committed myself to building accessibility-first sites and applications. I acquired my Web Accessibility Specialist certification from theInternational Association of Accessibility Professionals in October, 2022, followed by the Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies certification in May, 2023. These two certifications combine to make the Certified Professional in Web Accessibility certification. I am an expert in accessibility auditing and remediation, and over the last year I have started the UC Berkeley Library’s first digital accessibility program.
I am also an experienced public speaker. My presentations on digital accessibility cover topics ranging from the technical aspects of auditing and remediation, to how to incorporate accessibility-first practices at every stage of the development process, to ways to identify and address ableist culture in the workplace.
When I’m not writing code or advocating for an accessible internet, I’m home brewing, working on fermentation projects, hanging out and knitting with my spouse, playing piano, or discussing the internal consistency of time travel theories in books and movies with my kids.