Track: Classroom

In this session, we will explore practical ways to implement accessibility best practices without hiring a consultant. We’ll start by addressing why accessibility is important for every website. Then, we’ll identify factors that prevent website owners from reducing accessibility barriers. Finally, we’ll cover how to find and address the most common accessibility issues.

Attendees will have opportunities to ask questions about strategy and implementation. The session will include a digital worksheet to help attendees follow through on their accessibility goals.

In 2019 Allie Nimmons and Michelle Frechette grew tired of people constantly asking if they knew any black people who could speak at events or be guests on podcasts. So they set out to create a spreadsheet of folks that they knew in the WordPress space.

But about 20 rows into that Google sheet, they realized that it would be a herculean effort to reach out to each of those people on a regular basis to make sure they were still available and interested in being contacted. There was also no way to include people they didn’t know. And that limiting such an endeavor to one group of underrepresented people was shortsighted.

So Underrepresented in Tech was born.

In the almost five years since the database was published, the project has grown to include a podcast and webinars. There have been racist rants and online attacks, but there have also been gratitude and acclaim for the work that’s been done.

This session will talk about the WHY, the HOW, and the HOPES associated with Underrepresented in Tech. Attendees will leave with an understanding of how each of us can make a difference for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

In an AI-driven world, the role of a WordPress developer is rapidly changing. This session explores the current challenges and opportunities for developers, emphasizing the shift from coding to becoming a solution provider. We’ll discuss how to make your skills relevant by addressing what businesses truly want, future-proofing your career, and carving a unique path that AI cannot easily replace. Learn practical strategies to position yourself as an indispensable problem-solver rather than just a code implementer. Stay ahead of the curve and thrive in the AI-powered landscape.

Whether you’re a beginner coder or a seasoned developer, a gnarly bug can interrupt the fun and flow of the work. But as programmers, we’re professional problem-solvers — and debugging is the core tool of our trade! In this talk I’ll share some of my favorite strategies and tools for figuring out what’s going wrong in projects of all sizes. We’ll cover how to isolate and reproduce bugs, how to read and reason through code you didn’t write, and how to use both human mental techniques and helpful tools (including effective use of AI assistants) to solve issues in PHP and JavaScript… And we’ll talk candidly about how to approach and prioritize problems on those projects where everything goes wrong all at once.

Whether you’re working on your first plugin or maintaining a complex client project or enterprise site, these problem solving skills will help you work more confidently and spend less time stuck. This talk is aimed at beginner to intermediate developers who want to understand and fix bugs faster so they can get back to the “fun stuff!”

AI in 2025 is many things: a buzzword, a threat, a savior – but pragmatically, it is a tool. Join PMC’s Director of Content Performance and Analytics as he shares how we’re thinking about AI and it’s utility in publishing, content, and data analysis.

What We’ll Cover:

What AI can and cannot do.
Practical and ethical use cases for AI in publishing.
Identifying what AI can do for you as a site.
We will have a Q&A, so please submit your questions and come ready with them!

Ready to level up your WordPress career? In this session, we’ll outline the key steps to advance in WordPress development, whether you’re focused on design, development, or content management. You’ll learn which skills are essential to master—like theme and plugin development, SEO, security, and user experience—and how to build the practical experience needed to succeed.

We’ll also cover the mindset and habits that can accelerate your growth, from cultivating a learning-driven approach to staying adaptable in an ever-changing field. Plus, we’ll explore effective networking strategies to help you connect with mentors, peers, and potential collaborators, getting you closer to your career goals.

To ensure you’re on the cutting edge, we’ll dive into the latest technologies, including headless WordPress, AI-driven tools, and Gutenberg block development, giving you the tools to stay ahead in the digital landscape.