My obsession with web accessibility didn’t happen overnight. It grew steadily during my years at Wells Fargo from 2016 to 2023, where accessibility wasn’t just a best practice — it was a requirement woven into every project, every review, every release cycle. When you work inside a massive organization serving millions of people, you quickly learn that accessibility isn’t optional. It’s the difference between someone being able to use your product or being shut out entirely.
Web Accessibility in my Work Life
At first, accessibility felt like a checklist: alt text, labels, headings, color contrast, keyboard navigation. But the deeper I got into the work, the more I realized those guidelines weren’t technical hurdles — they were human ones. Every missing label was a person who couldn’t complete a form. Every poorly structured heading was someone lost in a screen reader maze. Every inaccessible button was a barrier that didn’t need to exist. Once you see that, you can’t unsee it.
That perspective changed how I build and how I lead. Today, in my role at Kwik Trip, accessibility isn’t just something I practice — it’s something I require from other developers. I make sure every new feature, every redesign, and every line of code respects the people who will use it. It’s not about enforcing rules; it’s about building empathy into the process. Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, and I want my teams to see it as part of craftsmanship, not compliance.
And it carries over to my Personal Life
That mindset followed me home to Winona, Minnesota, where I spend my time writing, cooking for my family, building digital tools, and expanding Mission: Helios into a portable sci‑fi experience. Whether I’m working on OnePanDad, GrandSlambert, RiverRail, or any of the projects under WPEStack, accessibility is baked into the process — in the color choices, the heading hierarchy, the keyboard flow, and the way content is structured so it makes sense to everyone.
Accessibility isn’t just a job requirement anymore. It’s a personal standard — and one of the most meaningful parts of the work I do. If you want to learn more, reach out to me on my Contact Page.