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 2024 will run over a 24-hour period from Wednesday, October 9 to Thursday, October 10. Volunteers are needed before, after, and during the event in a variety of roles.
Day-of positions:
Emcees
Introduce speakers, communicate with the speaker to ask questions passed by the moderator, and communicate other event business (announcements, etc.). Emcees are expected to appear on camera for introductions and questions.
Moderators
Enforce the code of conduct in chat and pass questions to the emcee to help sessions run smoothly. At the Zoom transitions, post the new link information in Chat.
Volunteer Coordinators/Backup Moderators
Ensure all volunteers are checking in on Slack 15 minutes before their shift begins. Backup to moderator.
Post-event translations
We are looking for individuals who are fluent in English (our primary event language) and another language. Our initial target languages are Spanish (South/Latin American) and French (European). However, if you are fluent in another language and interested in volunteering, we would love to hear from you!
We will provide the original English transcript and an automatically-generated translation of each 1-hour long presentation. We ask volunteers to review the generated translations and make any edits, as needed, for clarity, readability, and accuracy in the new language to the original English.
If you’re interested, use our Translator Application instead.
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. Day-of and post-event volunteers will likely be notified in mid-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.