FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2023
The WP Community Collective (WPCC) is proud to announce the start of its inaugural Fellowship program as the first-ever WPCC Fellow Alex Stine officially begins the Accessibility Fellowship this month as a sponsored contributor with the WPCC.
Over the next six months, Stine will dedicate his sponsored contribution time to deepen his already impactful work in the WordPress accessibility sphere, addressing key accessibility issues and fostering awareness and inclusion throughout WordPress. He will also help shape several accessibility-focused WPCC projects currently in discussion, such as an accessibility review of the WordPress site editor and accessibility-focused coding sprints.
In support of the WPCC’s goal to provide insight and transparency throughout the WPCC and across the greater WordPress project, Stine will post regular updates on thewpcommunitycollective.com, highlighting the work of the MakeWP accessibility team and delving into broader WordPress accessibility issues.
“As core development moves deeper into the Collaboration phase, WordPress is set to make some fundamental changes to the admin experience,” said WPCC president and co-founder Sé Reed.
“Accessibility is a crucial part of collaboration, and Alex’s involvement over the next six months will be a crucial part of ensuring accessibility isn’t an afterthought, but a core objective.”
Sé Reed
Demonstrating the WordPress community’s strong commitment to accessibility, the Accessibility Fellowship was funded entirely by donations, including 28 individuals and the Physical Disability Automattician Resource Group (PDARG) that specifically donated to the Accessibility Fellowship. Since reaching the minimum funding goal in August, the WPCC board has been putting into place the administrative structure to manage the Accessibility Fellowship and the fellowships it will develop in the future.
“Successfully funding the Accessibility Fellowship confirmed our theory that the WordPress community is willing to support independent contributors,” Reed said. “As we kick-off this first fellowship, we are excited to start putting into action our theories on what a new model of sponsored WordPress contribution can look like.”
For more information about the WP Community Collective or the Accessibility Fellowship, please contact thewpcommunitycollective@gmail.com.
About The WP Community Collective
The WP Community Collective is a nonprofit organization that supports and funds individual contribution to and community-based initiatives for the open-source WordPress project.
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Contact
Sé Reed, WPCC president and co-founder
se.reed@thewpcommunitycollective.com
Courtney Robertson, WPCC secretary and co-founder courtney.robertson@thewpcommunitycollective.com
Alex Stine, WPCC Accessibility Fellow 2023-24
alex.stine@thewpcommunitycollective.com