WordPress Accessibility Day is a nonprofit event organized and run by volunteers. We need your help to ensure the event goes smoothly! Read on to learn more about ways that you can help, and fill out our volunteer application if you’re interested in getting involved.
Areas Where Volunteers Are Needed
WordPress Accessibility Day 2023 will run over a 24-hour period from Wednesday, September 27 to Thursday, September 28.
Volunteers are needed before, after, and during the event in a variety of roles.
Pre-event Marketing
Assist with creating promotional graphics for sponsors, speakers, and sessions. Scheduling social media posts in our Buffer account. Writing blog posts to promote the event and gather attention. This will be a need from July through September, and multiple people can help as their schedules allow.
Hosts
Introduce speakers, communicate with the speaker to ask questions passed by the moderator, and communicate other event business (announcements, etc.). Hosts are expected to appear on camera for introductions and questions.
Moderators
Enforce the code of conduct in chat and pass questions to the host to help sessions run smoothly.
Monitors
Backup to moderator; communicate with captioner and other support services; answer questions concerning technical access issues from viewers.
APAC Volunteer Coordinator
Ensure volunteers are fulfilling duties and communicate as needed via Slack during the U.S. overnight hours when our volunteer team leads will be sleeping. This is a key role during the event to help ensure the event is running smoothly.
Post-event Video Editing
Help edit recordings into files that can be sent to our transcription vendor for captioning. Editing will primarily be clipping the front and back off of videos so each session is in its own file without “dead time” before or after a presentation begins and ends.
Volunteer FAQ
Who can volunteer?
Anyone interested in supporting WordPress Accessibility Day is encouraged to apply! You do not have to have experience volunteering for or organizing an event. Jobs are available for people of all skill levels and abilities and for people with technical and non-technical backgrounds. All you need is enthusiasm for accessibility and excitement to be part of a team putting on a unique global WordPress event.
What time zone do I have to be in?
It doesn’t matter where you are in the world – we’ll have something you can help with. Because WordPress Accessibility Day is a global event that takes place over a 24-hour period, there will be volunteer needs over everyone’s day and night. On the volunteer application, you can select your time zone and let us know your preferred times for volunteering.
Most of our organizers are located in North America, so we especially have a need for volunteers in other parts of the world that can help run sessions during our middle-of-the-night hours. (That’s not to say we don’t need North American volunteers too!)
Is there a minimum time commitment?
The time commitment depends upon which role you select. Some volunteer tasks may be able to be completed in a few hours on a single day. Other jobs will require a larger commitment. Let us know what time you can give, and we’ll work with that.
What accessibility accommodations do you have for volunteers?
As an accessibility-focused event, we strive to be inclusive and support all people participating in all capacities. We will have live captioners and sign language interpreters available during the event. Pre-event communications take place via Slack or Zoom. During planning meetings, we use automated captions.
If there is a specific accommodation that you need in order to be successful as a volunteer, you can notify us on the volunteer application.
When are volunteers selected and notified?
We’ll be reviewing volunteer applications on a rolling basis. Pre-event volunteers will hear from us in June or sooner. Day-of volunteers will likely be notified in August.
How can I get other questions answered?
If you have other questions about volunteering that were not answered here, please fill out our contact form.