WP Community Collective Funds First Fellowship for Accessibility Contributor Alex Stine – WP Tavern

The WP Neighborhood Collective (WPCC), a non-profit group created to help particular person WordPress contributors and community-led initiatives, has funded its first fellowship. Alex Stine, a totally blind particular person contributor who has been working with the WordPress Accessibility staff since 2016, is the primary recipient of the funds designated for the fellowship.

WPCC studies that the fellowship acquired donations from 59 people and organizations that wish to help the reason for bettering the open supply undertaking’s accessibility. The group makes use of Open Collective because the fiscal sponsor for its 501(c)3 standing, enabling donations to be categorized as charitable giving. All donations coming into the group are clear and publicly documented.

The fellowship supplies Stine with 5 paid contribution hours per week for six months, which permits him to proceed his work on accessibility reviews and patches in WordPress core. It features a journey stipend for WordCamp US the place Stine is volunteering as a co-organizer and taking part within the Neighborhood Summit. As the primary to embark on a WPCC fellowship, Stine may even assist set up a framework for future Accessibility Fellowship cohorts.

“I’m actually excited for the long run as this may enable me to commit actual time to bettering the undertaking,” Stine mentioned. “The help I acquired from the neighborhood exhibits me there are others who acknowledge the significance of accessibility.

“Time itself is the most important win right here. The funding permits me to focus extra of my day on WordPress and fewer on facet work. The principle tasks embody the Gutenberg submit editor.”

Stine lately performed an accessibility audit of Gutenberg, which exhibits the present state of the block editor in WordPress 6.3. This video could be very enlightening for anybody who hasn’t but seen how Gutenberg works with assistive expertise like a display screen reader.

Stine has carried out many accessibility audits for various merchandise within the WordPress ecosystem. The fellowship funds allow him to proceed his contributions on present WordPress open supply accessibility initiatives with out having to tackle as a lot consulting work.

“Alex has demonstrated a deep dedication to creating an inclusive expertise for all WordPress customers,” WPCC co-founder and president Sé Reed mentioned. “We’re delighted by the neighborhood’s willingness to speculate each in Alex and in the way forward for WordPress accessibility. In supporting his work, we goal to enhance accessibility throughout your complete undertaking, from the core software program to the better WordPress neighborhood.”