WordPress

Readability Theme Progress

I’m currently working on a personal WordPress project to build an accessibility focused theme and workflow experience.

Theme Preview Video

However, that goal isn’t limited to the front end. I hope to bring the design into Gutenberg’s block editor experience.

Block Editor Video

Now with WordCamp Santa Clarita behind me I’m focusing on my only resolution for 2019. Build a theme and submit it to the WordPress repository for consideration. A theme designed for casual long form reading where the user doesn’t have to lean towards their screen. A novel idea right?

There is still a lot to be done, code refactoring, feature implementation, refinements to the post editor experience. The list goes on.

I’m doing this as I feel there are not enough themes that take on the challenge of providing a comfortable reading experience while addressing the challenges of visual accessibility.

For an idea of what it’s looking like currently click through to this screenshot.

If you’d like to follow my progress I’m posting the code on Github. I’ll document my progress on this site as I go. 🙂

I Really Enjoyed my WordCamp Santa Clarita Experience

I’ve been attending WordCamps now for five years and these events have greatly benefited me as a professional web developer, WordCamp Santa Clarita had no shortage amazing experiences, conversations or sessions.

I spoke about my experience updating Kubrick for Gutenberg
Watched as David Nuon MacGyver’d Gutenberg to create a Buzzfeed style What type of Poky are you? Spoiler Alert: I’m Vanilla.
- In MacGyver fashion his laptop battery died a second before he finished the presentation. I can’t way for WordPress.tv to post the video.
Amy Hall presented on drip and nurture email campaigns, If I ever start freelancing my services I know this will be a key to success.
Matt Kopala provided much needed insight into why servers can run slowly.
Glenn Zucman talk on Software Freedom was fantastic.
- Did you know he has a sub-site dedicated to his hair color?
I was able to pick Mikey Veenstra‘s brain about web security and research
I created an incomplete and unofficial Twitter list of many of the people involved. If you want to be added or removed just let me know.
Caught up with Verious, Marc and Gregg of our Inland Empire WordPress Community where I’ve been absent the last few months.
I chatted with several attendees, speakers and speakers throughout the weekend on topics of all sorts and to many to list but I’ll try,
- Erik Blair on being a digital nomad
- Chris Adrich on Indiweb, Micropub, and owning our social media
- Jessi Gurr on business ownership, project management and leadership
- Sergio Scabuzzo, Renee Johnson, Stan Zawada, and several others about work and life and everything in between.

Most importantly I was able to hang out with the other speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and organizers who made this first Santa Clarita WordCamp a success. Joe Simpson Jr. took on this massive undertaking along with the other organizers and volunteers to make this happen and I am honored to have been a part of it.