About This Year’s Shirt
The Story Behind the Shirt
Every year, the team sets out to create a t-shirt that says something about accessibility and about the wonderful community that makes it all happen. This year’s design is no exception. While last year’s shirt unapologetically championed the humble focus outline, this year’s shirt tells a different story: one about process, and the power of many hands shaping a single idea.
At the center of it all is designer Kim Ortiz, who describes the experience not as a solo project, but as one of the most collaborative design efforts she’s ever led.
“The t-shirt was definitely a team effort,” Ortiz says.
The initial inspiration for the design emerged from a flurry of ideas shared among the organizers. The direction eventually settled on a design that features American Sign Language lettering, but getting those visuals right wasn’t as simple as downloading a stock graphic. Ortiz and the team discovered just how many variations exist in ASL hand shapes and positions. The team tapped its network to enlist a contact who was well-versed in ASL to review the concepts and provide critical feedback.
“I didn’t know there were so many different images of hand placement out there for ASL!” Ortiz admits.
What began as a design task quickly became a shared learning journey on the nuances of ASL. Next the developer team chipped in—making sure the alt tag on the back of the shirt was accurate but not overwhelming. Taking it over the finish line, Maarten Jansen and Adrienne Grace stepped up to refine and polish the artwork and the result is the finished product below!
“It was one of my best design experiences,” Ortiz reflects. “…with thoughtful feedback and great input from the organizers. I really believe our shirt design is great because of all the people behind it.”
If last year’s shirt was about advocating for focus outlines, this year’s is about honoring collaboration—the messy, rewarding, deeply human process of making something together. The ASL-inspired artwork reflects the same kind of nuance we navigate in accessible coding: details matter, context matters, and getting it right is a collective effort. It’s a visual testament to the idea that many hands really do make light work. Much like the event itself, this shirt is a product of collaboration—and a reminder that accessibility is something we build together.
Description of the Shirt
This year’s t-shirt is light blue.
On the front:
- Simple line drawing of American Sign Language hand gestures spelling out WPAD.
- There’s a horizontal dividing line and, below that, is the WordPress Accessibility Day logo which consists of a simplified human figure encircled in dashes next to small text left aligned that says, “WordPress Accessibility Day 2025.”
On the back:
- There is a line of text in a terminal MS DOS-style font that says:
alt="WPAD in American Sign Language on the front of a light blue t-shirt."
How to Get a Shirt
You may be wondering how you can get one of these amazing shirts for yourself. There are three ways that you can get your very own WordPress Accessibility Day 2025 t-shirt.
- When registering to attend, there will be an option to donate or micro sponsor on the attendee registration form. Be sure to select the option that includes the thank-you t-shirt — it’s the best way to guarantee you’ll receive one if you don’t have time to volunteer.
- Become a Volunteer! All volunteers have the option of getting a free t-shirt.
- Provide session feedback during the event. Every session feedback form you submit includes an opt-in field for a chance to win a t-shirt. After the event, we’ll randomly select 30 winners from feedback entries to receive a free t-shirt.
Sizing and Materials
The shirt we’ve selected is by Port & Company and is 100% pre-shrunk sturdy cotton. It is available in youth and adult sizes up to 6XL. This is a different shirt from last year and runs longer. Please check the sizing chart.
Here is a sizing chart for adult sizes:
| Small | Medium | Large | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | 6XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 27 in (69 cm) | 29 in (74 cm) | 30 in (76 cm) | 31 in (79 cm) | 33 in (84 cm) | 34 in (86 cm) | 35 in (90 cm) | 36 in (91 cm) | 37 in (94 cm) |
| Width | 18 in (46 cm) | 20 in (51 cm) | 22 in (56 cm) | 24 in (61 cm) | 26 in (66 cm) | 28 in (71 cm) | 30 in (76 cm) | 32 in (81 cm) | 34 in (86 cm) |
Length refers to the high point on the shoulder to the finished hem at the back.
Width is measured side to side at 1 in. (2.54 cm) below the armholes.
Shipping and “The Fine Print”
Our t-shirts are printed and shipped via Custom Ink. They can ship internationally, but they cannot ship to certain countries, such as Russia, Ukraine, and Serbia. Contact Custom Ink if you want to verify shipping to your country.
If you select to receive a shirt as a volunteer or as a donation thank-you gift, please remember that you’re receiving the shirt as a gift and that you’re not purchasing it.
While we will do our very best to get you your t-shirt and help you track down shirts that were not received, as a very small volunteer-led nonprofit, we cannot guarantee delivery of shirts. We also cannot reimburse you for any taxes or customs fees your country may charge. Please consider that when deciding if you want a shirt. People in European countries typically get charged approximately €14 to receive the shirts.
T-shirts are non-returnable, and all donations to WP Accessibility Day are nonrefundable.
We greatly appreciate your support and are excited to have the opportunity to make the conference shirt available to everyone who wants one.