My Portfolio

Lead Accessibility Engineer (CPACC, Acquia)

Perry, Kansas, USA

LinkedIn | GitHub | Drupal | YouTube | Bluesky | A11yTalks

About me

Quickly about me

For me, learning and sharing knowledge is the key to being a successful professional, mentor, team member, colleague, and friend. Teamwork and community are what has always driven me in web development and digital accessibility, and it’s also what makes it fun to do.

My background

I’m a spirited Lead Engineer (Acquia-certified) and Digital Accessibility Specialist (CPACC), working remotely out of Northeastern Kansas. I started web development so that I could raise my son Nick at home. After getting copies Front Page and Photoshop from my programmer mom, I was curious and delved into its code to see how it worked. I was off and running.

After graduating High School in summer 1993, I started working at Hoge Barracks at Fort Leavenworth Kansas. A year later, in Spring 1996, I spent three semesters studying at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. However, I left just after finals in May of 1997 to give birth to my marvelous son and pursue a career on my own.

I started my web development long career in lovely Kansas City, and have traveled throughout U.S. to broaden my skills and abilities with several fine companies. In 2002, I started working as the full-time Webmaster for Douglas County Kansas, where I honed my accessibility skills. I joined the Promet Source team in 2015 and stayed for five years initially as a Frontend Developer, and then as a Web Accessibility Specialist focusing on accessibility audits and remediation. I was fortunate enough to join the Lullabot team in 2019 as  Senior Frontend Developer specializing in digital accessibility, and was thankfully promoted to Lead Engineer in 2023. Thanks to my teams, I've been able to continue my passion for digital accessibility.

My current happenings

I've worked on several accessibility projects including performing internal client accessibility audits, assisting with accessibility testing for the Olivero (the theme used for this site) and Claro themes, coordinating testing for Olivero with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), accessibility testing for the Drupal Toolbar Redesign, and contributing to the Drupal.org Frontend initiative (Olivero and Claro).

Kat is also a member of A11yTalks, a virtual meet-up group featuring speakers and conversations around digital accessibility. She currently fulfills the role of Diversity and Inclusion Co-organizer with A11yTalks.

In the news

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My resume

Certifications

CPACC certification & IAAP member
I've been CPACC-certified with IAAP since 2017

Acquia certified for Drupal
I've been Acquia-certified since 2016, and I'm currently working on my Drupal 10 Frontend certification.

Skillset

Development

  • Drupal
  • HTML5
  • CSS
  • Responsive Web Design
  • JavaScript
  • Digital Accessibility (WCAG 2.2/ATAG/WAI-ARIA/Section 508/ADA)
  • PHP
  • React
  • Next.js
  • NodeJS
  • jQuery
  • ASP.NET / VB.NET
  • SQL
  • XML/XSLT/XPath
  • RSS
  • Social Media integration
  • Google
  • MS Office
  • Yahoo Pipes
  • Bootstrap
  • Font Awesome
  • WordPress

Software

  • Visual Studio
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro
  • MS SQL Server
  • Adobe Fireworks
  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • MS IIS
  • MS Visual Web Developer
  • MS SQL Server Management Studio
  • MS Business Intelligence Development Studio
  • MS SSRS
  • MS Office
  • NetBeans IDE

Education

Coursera
Currently attending ACE-certified UX Design and Data Analytics courses, which will go towards a degree.

Highland Community College
Currently attending towards an Associate’s in Science degree

University of Kansas
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, working towards a Computer Science degree, 1996 – 1997

Kansas City Kansas Community College
English Composition, 1995, transferred to University of Kansas

Leavenworth High School
Diploma, General Studies, 1990 – 1993, graduated with a diploma

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Work experience

Lead Engineer, Digital Accessibility Specialist (CPACC)

September 2023 – Present

  • Leads cross-collaborative teams to analyze and improve Figma designs, resulting in enhanced, accessible, and usable sites and applications.
  • Creates project plans consisting of long-form documentation or ticket backlogs, along with estimates of work and highlights of technical risks.
  • Analyzes code and associated documentation produced by team members to identify improvements through collaborative code review.
  • Evaluates the technical skills of current and prospective team members.
    Plans, analyzes, and writes automated tests with tools such as Playwright, Storybook, PHPUnit, Jest, and Nightwatch.
  • Self-manages project tasks, and manages the tasks of a team when required.
  • Creates documentation for engineers and client stakeholders in project management tools, including Jira.
  • Acts as a backup for a project manager on team projects.
  • Evaluates client RFPs, and provides detailed feedback to the sales team.
  • Manages development teams in order to keep the project plan on-target.

Senior Frontend Web Developer

September 2019 – 2023 (4 yrs 3 months)

  • Led frontend development initiatives and collaborated with cross-functional teams to implement Agile project management methodologies for efficient project delivery.
  • Developed dynamic websites and applications using Drupal, Storybook, React, TypeScript, and Figma to enhance interactivity.
  • Manually audited and remediated sites against current accessibility standards including WCAG, WAI-ARIA/ARIA, ATAG, and Section 508.
  • Utilized Git for version control and collaborated with designers to implement designs using HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and Sass.
  • Provided research, discovery, and development for leadership team regarding best practices and standards in digital accessibility and user experience (UX).

A11yTalks (volunteer co-organizer)

May 2021 - Present

  • Recruit new speakers for A11yTalks through multiple channels including social media and email communication.
  • Act as the main contact for speakers.
  • Co-organize virtual presentation on YouTube Live.
  • Keep the A11yTalks team updated on speaker updates.
  • Update processes to make tasks easier for the whole team.

Web Accessibility Specialist at Promet Source

December 2018 – September 2019 (10 months)

  • Managed the development of the Promet Source accessibility audits and remediation product, enhancing its capabilities and maintaining it.
  • Conducted virtual and in-person training sessions and provided consultation for clients and team members on current web accessibility standards.
  • Audited websites against current web accessibility standards, providing custom code fixes, and remediation in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Drupal, and WordPress.
  • Managed the development of the Promet Source accessibility audits and remediation product, enhancing its capabilities and maintaining it.
  • Conducted virtual and in-person training sessions and provided consultation for clients and team members on current web accessibility standards.
  • Audited websites against current web accessibility standards, providing custom code fixes, and remediation in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Drupal, and WordPress.

Frontend Developer at Promet Source

September 2015 – December 2018 (3 years 4 months)

  • Developed frontend for Drupal and WordPress sites and applications
  • Conducted accessibility audits, and provided in-person training to clients.
  • Presented at conferences and camps, consulting with non-profit, federal, state, and local government clients.
  • Achieved successful site launches and improved user experience through accessibility enhancements.
  • Developed frontend for Drupal and WordPress sites and applications.
  • Conducted accessibility audits, and provided in-person training to clients.
  • Presented at conferences and camps, consulting with non-profit, federal, state, and local government clients.
  • Achieved successful site launches and improved user experience through accessibility enhancements.

Webmaster at Douglas County Kansas

February 2002 – September 2015 (13 years 4 months)

  • Developed and maintained multiple county websites in Drupal 7, utilizing ASP.NET/VB.NET, SQL Server 2008, HTML5, CSS3, PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, XML, XSLT, Bootstrap, and Google Analytics.
  • Acted as an accessibility advocate, attending workshops and learning about accessibility to ensure inclusivity in web design.
  • Implemented user-friendly applications and features to enhance user experience on the websites.
  • Gave presentations at multiple conferences and camps for the Drupal and National Association of Government Web Developers (NAGW) communities.

Web Developer at Infinity Web Solutions, USA

February 2001 – June 2002 (1 year 5 months)

  • Developed and maintained multiple websites for local businesses, utilizing skills in web development and design.
  • Managed contract work for various clients, ensuring timely delivery and high-quality results.
  • Transitioned to a Webmaster role at Douglas County, Kansas to focus on career growth and family priorities.

Graphic Designer at Autodesk

December 2000 – February 2001 (3 months)

  • Designed engaging graphics for Autodesk's web development projects.
  • Collaborated with the team to ensure visual consistency and brand alignment.
  • Implemented user feedback to improve design and user experience.

Web Designer at World Wide Web Institute (no longer a company)

October 1999 – August 2000 (11 months)

  • Designed 2+ website layouts daily for clients at World Wide Web Institute, enhancing my web design skills and efficiency.
  • Collaborated with a team of developers to create visually appealing websites for various industries.
  • Developed strong relationships with colleagues, fostering a supportive work environment and lasting friendships.

Webmaster at Spencer Reed Group

August 1997 – September 1999 (2 years 2 months)

  • Developed websites using FrontPage and Photoshop, honing skills in web and graphic design.
  • Managed web projects remotely while balancing childcare responsibilities.
  • Enhanced user experience and site functionality for Spencer Reed Group in Kansas City, MO.

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My presentations

See a full list of my presentations, events, and other activity on my LinkedIn > All Activity page.

Upcoming

What the heck is ARIA? A Beginner's Guide to ARIA for Accessibility (Ottawa DrupalCamp, May 2nd 2025)

What the heck is ARIA? A Beginner's Guide to ARIA for Accessibility (Drupal Midcamp Chicago, May 20th-22nd 2025)

Your event can be here too!
Would you like me to speak at your event? I'd love to! Please contact me via Email or LinkedIn and I'll get back to you quickly.

Past

I have more presentations to add to this list, which I'll do soon.

Understanding “The Why” with Accessibility (Drupal Camp, Feb 21-23, 2025)

Encouraging enrollment: Making low-friction, accessible forms for MyMassGov (FormFest 2025 - Code for America, Dec 4, 2024)

Making Iowa.gov Accessible - Building the DX Platform in an accessible way (Iowa.gov on-site, Nov 12, 2024)

What the heck is ARIA? A Beginner's Guide to ARIA for Accessibility | YouTube video of presentation (A11yTalks, August 29, 2024)

What the Heck is ARIA? A Beginner's Guide to ARIA for Accessibility (Drupal GovCon 2024, August 13, 2024)

Case Study: Creating Accessible Content for Lullabot's Iowa.gov Digital Transformation Project (Drupal GovCon 2023, Nov 2023)

Panel Podcast w/Talking Drupal (episode #395): Accessibility from Sales to Delivery (April 17, 2023)

Panel Virtual Event: Web Accessibility Q&A: Overcoming Excuses and Misconceptions (GAAD Day) (May 18, 2023)

Panel Virtual Event: Global Accessibility Awareness Day – A Conversation and Live Q&A (May 19, 2022)

Accessibility in Drupal Is My Jam: Practical Use of Accessibility Tools in Drupal (February 19, 2022)

Virtual Event: How Cool Accessibility Tools Can Make Your Life Easier, Drupal Flyover Camp (September 17-18 2020)

In-person Training: Making PDFs Accessible, St. Lucie County, Florida (July 8-9, 2019)

Advanced Web Accessibility Training for Drupal Developers, DrupalCon Nashville 2018 (April 9, 2018)

Training: Web Accessibility Training for Drupal Developers, DrupalCorn Camp 2018 (September 28, 2018)

Don’t Punish the Admins: Building a minimalist admin theme using Adminimal (DrupalCorn Camp 2016, August 4-7, 2016)

jQuery: Filtering Content Presentation, KCMagWeb User’s Group (November 2012)

Transforming Data with CSS Presentation, KCMagWeb User’s Group (February 2011)

Merging Data and Design Using XML/XSLT/CSS/ASP.NET Presentation, KCMagWeb User’s Group (February 2010)

Creating a Solid Social Media Policy Presentation, KCMagWeb User’s Group (November 2009)

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Projects DBA Evergreen Hill LLC

Marci for Senate

This is a campaign website for longtime Kansas Senator Marci Francisco. After meeting Marci at the 2024 Lawrence Kansas St. Patrick’s Day Parade while we marched for the Kansas League of Women Voters, I agreed to take on her campaign project. After some discussion with her team on what they hoped to achieve with her new site, I got started. The timeline was tight on this project, however her team and I were able to create a great site that conveys who she is, what she’d done for her constituents up to that point, and what she hoped to do in her next term if elected. Her site also received a lot of traffic throughout the campaign, and was connected with her Facebook account. Gratefully, she was re-elected to another term, and is able to represent all Kansans in a thoughtful, caring, and productive way. I really did enjoy this project.

Mike Amyx for Kansas House of Representatives

Kansas Representative Mike Amyx asked if I could create a campaign website for him several years ago, and I was happy to do so. I also helped him integrate it with his Facebook and Twitter social media accounts using the same usernames. In addition, I joined his steering committee. I plan on updating the site in the next year.

This project involved adding current happenings, his goals, and any legislative news. It was a very fun project.

MMQ Group

Algen Williams, Jr. asked if I could create a quick website for his new architectural firm and I was happy to do so. This site was meant to be a one-page site with a simple layout to keep things simple. Algen has done wonderfully with his business over the years.

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