The Popular "Become a Drupal Architect Series" Course Starts Soon

What is the Architect Series?

Debug Academy created the Drupal Architect Series, a set of five 2.5 hour classes, because we know there are many ways to build a functional website, but not all ways are created equal. And making the wrong choice can lead to long-term headaches when faced with performance, security, caching, or data structure issues.

And it's not your fault. The options are many and can be overwhelming.

DrupalCon Pittsburgh 2023 is approaching fast! If you haven’t been to a DrupalCon before, Pittsburgh will be a great opportunity to experience the event. You will have the opportunity to connect with other developers, designers, content creators, and business leaders who use Drupal to build websites and digital experiences. DrupalCon offers a range of sessions, including hands-on workshops, technical talks, business case studies, panel discussions, and Birds of a Feather sessions providing attendees with the latest information and best practices for using Drupal to build some of the world's most innovative digital experiences.

What are Birds of a Feature (BoF) sessions?

"Birds of a Feather" (BoF) sessions are formal roundtables or informal gatherings of attendees who share a common interest or topic. They are usually organized during conferences and provide a space for attendees to network, discuss, and exchange ideas and experiences on a specific subject. Unlike normal sessions, BoFs are not typically led by a speaker or panel. They are more of an open discussion among participants. At DrupalCon, BoF sessions can cover a wide range of topics related to Drupal, including technical issues, business challenges, community initiatives, and more.

Why should you attend BoF sessions?

Attending Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions at DrupalCon is a great way to enhance your conference experience. They provide opportunities to learn and engage with other attendees at the conference. They provide a relaxed and informal setting for attendees to connect, learn, and grow. As an attendee, here are four ways BOF sessions can benefit you at DrupalCon Pittsburgh 2023:

1. Networking: BoFs provide a platform for attendees to network with others who share similar interests and challenges, creating opportunities for building new relationships and collaborations.
2. Knowledge sharing: BoFs allow attendees to exchange ideas, experiences, and best practices on specific topics, providing a deeper understanding of the subject and helping attendees to stay up-to-date with the latest developments.
3. Community building: BoFs contribute to the sense of community at a conference and help to foster a supportive and inclusive environment for attendees.
4. Personal growth: Attending BoFs can help attendees expand their knowledge and skills, and also provide new perspectives on their work and challenges.

When will BoF sessions happen at DrupalCon Pittsburgh?

Birds of Feather sessions happen all day every day of the conference and sessions often run concurrently with other programming. There are designated areas where the BOF sessions are held and a schedule is usually posted outside of the area for sign-ups.

How do I find out about BoF sessions?

In previous years, Birds of a Feather sessions were organized organically at the conference, and they provided ad-hoc meeting areas for informal sessions. This year at DrupalCon Pittsburgh, the Drupal Association is taking session submissions for BOFs to provide more visibility into topics and spread awareness. The Birds of a Feather schedule will be posted one month prior to the conference on the DrupalCon Pittsburgh website, and there will be write-in slots available on-site for ad hoc BoF sessions.

Birds of a Feather sessions are a great way for attendees to take advantage of networking and learning opportunities to make new connections and strengthen existing relationships within the Drupal community. Have a session you are interested in submitting? Submissions are open until the slots are filled! Submit your Birds of a Feather session today.

It happens often. Early in a project, a team member will offhandedly say something like "the site is slow," "my computer is slow," or "Docker is slow." Those all may be true. But it takes specialized knowledge to track down the root cause of performance issues. This article covers the same tips we share with our team to help solve workstation performance problems.

As you may have read in our previous blog post, the Drupal Association is pleased to be hosting Young African Leader Initiative (YALI) Fellow Denaya Dennis! The Mandela Washington Fellowship, YALI’s flagship program, empowers young African leaders. We invite you to get to know Denaya and learn more about his background!

Meet Denaya Dennis

Denaya Dennis is South Sudanese and is passionate about digital education, peace, and people’s development. In 2019, Denaya was a Mandela Washington Fellow at the University of Notre Dame. A graduate of IT, Denaya volunteers as a teaching assistant at the University of Juba, School of Computing, with majors in Business applications and information systems. In 2017 he co-founded Alela Technologies Ltd, a tech company providing ICT services to private, corporate, and public institutions in South Sudan.

Denaya is the founder and Executive of Koneta Hub. This innovation-driven organization uses the approaches of Human-centered design in providing community-driven solutions with an emphasis on digital literacy and rights, business incubation, tech 4 peace, and innovations on the SDGs. Denaya believes in the power of innovation as a driving force for sustainable development!

Within his community, Denaya is also an ICT trainer and mentors young people to learn new skills that are important in today’s job market. As a startup trainer, he strongly believes in the power of Design Thinking in providing long-lasting people and community-driven solutions. Within East Africa, Denaya has volunteered with many organizations in supporting startups as a mentor and innovation challenges judge. His experiences are helping to shape the South Sudan startup ecosystem.

Outside of tech, Denaya is a recording artist singing Christian contemporary songs in the Star Eagles Music, which he co-founded with Tony Manas. Denaya got married to Teddy Grace in December 2022.

I got to know about Drupal when I attended the CMS Africa Summit in 2016 in Kampala, and since then, I have loved everything about Content Management Systems. My desire to use the CMS platforms grew, and I was able to create business opportunities for myself. One thing I am confident about in life is that you can do anything, provided you are committed to it.

- Denaya Dennis

The Drupal Association is thrilled to have Denaya on our team until 2 March 2023!

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PDFs that are not adequately formatted can be difficult or even impossible for people with impairments to access. This can result in the loss of critical information and limit the document's usefulness.

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There are a plethora of mobile app accessibility automation tools available. But not every tool is infallible when testing for mobile accessibility. This raises several questions:

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Web Accessibility is not only for people with impairments; instead, it's for everybody. Web accessibility results in better user interaction with the website by enabling the utilization of tools and technologies that aid the site's perception, understanding, operability, contribution, and navigation.