Matthew Putland's Introduction

Hello members of the EOWG,

Allow me to introduce myself as the newest member to join the Education and Outreach Working Group:

I am very excited and somewhat overwhelmed at the opportunity to be able to make a real contribution to not only refining the W3C's accessibility resources but also improving the lives of people with disabilities. I'm looking forward to providing my input and assisting where I can in the working group, as well as learning from you all at the same time.

My name is Matthew Putland and I'm a young Australian currently working at Media Access Australia as a Digital Accessibility Analyst. My primary role in our not-for-profit is to conduct accessibility audits of websites, applications and content/learning management systems and provide recommendations to clients on how to create an inclusive experience for people with disabilities. This line of work involves a careful study on understanding the W3C's accessibility guidelines which provide the foundation of what my role is all about. My experience in explaining accessibility concepts to technically and non-technically minded people is something that I feel will benefit the EOWG and what I learn here will continue to improve my ability to understand and explain the guidelines. I work directly with Dr Scott Hollier here in Perth, who is an incredible mentor and I thank him for allowing me access to this Working Group.

I have a humble background as an Information Technology graduate from Edith Cowan University which lead me to conducting work experience at Media Access Australia before ultimately acquiring the role of accessibility analyst. I have always enjoyed using my knowledge to assist people in any field, but it just so happened that my I.T knowledge shone out from the rest. Scott Hollier was the man who not only introduced me to the world of accessibility but has now created what I feel will now be a lifelong passion.

I look forward to contributing and joining the conference calls whenever I'm able, although it's unlikely I'll be present for every meeting due to unfortunate time zone constraints.

Regards,

Matthew Putland
Analyst, Digital Accessibility | Media Access Australia
61 Kitchener Avenue, Victoria Park WA 6100
Tel: 08 9311 8230 (direct) 02 9212 6242 (main) Mobile: 0431 924 288 Web: www.mediaaccess.org.au<http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/>

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