Katie Cunningham

http://twitter.com/kcunning

Woodbridge, Virginia

Python and Django developer, accessibility advocate

Areas of Expertise:

  • 508
  • accessibility
  • python
  • django
  • speaking
  • programming
  • writing

Katie Cunningham is a Python and Django developer for Cox Media Group by day, and is currently writing a book on 508 compliance and accessibility by night. While she had always had an interest in programming, it didn't turn into a career until she started to work at NASA. There, she slowly transitioned from gathering requirements to developing full time, advocating the use of more open source in the government sector.

It was at NASA that she gained an interest in 508 compliance. At first, she was only interested in getting her applications through QA faster. Over time, however, she gained a passion for a web that was easy for everyone to use. Now in the private sector, she is championing compliance even for websites that don't require it by law.

She currently lives just outside of Washington, DC with her husband and two children.

Accessibility Handbook Accessibility Handbook
by Katie Cunningham
September 2012
Print: $19.99
Ebook: $14.99

Katie blogs at:

PyCon: Mani Party!

May 12 2013

I've been talking about this on Twitter for a while, but I figure I'd make some sort of official announcement: I'm hosting a mani/pedi BOF at PyCon! What started as a cute joke snowballed into an actual thing, as many of the best things often do! This will be a DIY… read more

Asperger's != Asshole

May 05 2013

Today is Autism Awareness / Acceptance day. I normally let it pass without saying anything. This year, though, I have a request. Please stop calling my son an asshole. When Jake turned seven, he was officially diagnosed with Asperger's. At the time, most people only had a vague idea of what the… read more

PyCon 2013: Mani Party Wrap-up!

April 28 2013

It all started off as a joke. I've decided I'm bringing all my nail polishes to PyCon so we can have a mani party. — Katie Cunningham (@kcunning) November 24, 2012 Flush with my new obsession, nail polish, I told everyone on Twitter that I was totally going to bring some polish… read more

PyCon 2013: Young Coders

April 21 2013

This year at PyCon, I had the honor of co-teaching the very first workshop just for children at PyCon. Barbara Shaurette and I taught approximately 35 kids from eight to eighteen the basics of programming Python. The class was offered for free to all children, and all kids got to take home… read more

Roost from Bocoup

April 21 2013

I recently attended Roost by Bocoup. It was an incredible experience that I feel I should share with the whole Internet. My background I hate JavaScript. I know, I know, I'm not exactly alone on that island. Everyone likes to hate on JavaScript. For a long time, I've been able to debug it,… read more

Webcast: Accessibility Handbook: Making 508-Compliant Websites
December 07, 2012
Several audiences have difficulty using today's complex websites, including people with blindness, hearing loss, physical disabilities, and cognitive disorders. In this webcast, Katie Cunningham, author of the Accessibility Handbook: Making 508 Compliant...

Katie Cunningham