How I got here.

Just like you, my story is full of excitement, challenges, and serendipity.

Before Photoshop, there were #2 pencils and markers

The first thing I ever designed was a flyer for a school event back in 1988.

It’s uh me, Mario!

In 1992, Mario Paint came out, and that is when I started experimenting with my first digital artwork.

My Teens: Graffiti, QuarkXpress, Photoshop, and Programming

In high school, I spent my time lettering graffiti and drawing. That was when I got my first Mac, which was my intro to design and coding.

West coast To east coast

While in college in Los Angeles and New York, I learned to combine my drawing and computer skills while studying design and fine art.

Client-side server

My first design gig was as a freelance web and graphic designer, where I learned a lot about business and how to collaborate with clients.

Shrink-wrapping all my skills together

In 2004, I joined Home and Living, a furniture store looking to go online. I was initially brought on to upload products but was quickly promoted to VP. Shifting my focus to Design, customer service, and training.

One World. Every child.

In 2005, I joined the global non-profit, Spirituality for Kids. A social-emotional learning program focused on empowering kids. And I applied my organizational, design, and business skills to contribute to SFK’s growth in NYC.

Dub Dub

In 2011, I joined Weight Watchers creative team in NYC as a developer, building websites, and customer tools. In 2014, I became a UX Lead, working on the marketing and payment gateway. During my time at WW, I also focused on Accessibility, including implementation and training.

Challenging the Healthcare Industry

In 2015, I went full-time on my startup Medi.Me, aiming to solve a significant issue with medical record tracking. This product wasn’t released but taught me a lot about entrepreneurship.

Freedom Over Full-time

In 2016, I decided to go back to my roots as a freelance designer. It allowed me to travel and learn from those experiences and work on various exciting projects throughout the years.

The Final Fantasy

During the pandemic, an opportunity arose to join Square Enix West and dive into the gaming industry! As a person of color (POC), I saw this as a chance to bring fresh perspectives to the table—not just for my own growth, but to help shape a more inclusive and accessible gaming world. My goal? To build internal support systems that champion accessibility education and advocacy. I started out focused on gaming, web, and marketing—but bit by bit, I expanded into other areas of the business, building connections and spreading accessibility along the way.

The Future Looks Bright(on)

Looks like the universe has hit the reset button—and boom! Here I am, back to my consulting and freelance roots. But this time? I’ve levelled up! More knowledge, more experience, and an incredible group of friends and collaborators spanning industries and continents. I'm ready to share the magic!

Rodrigo Sanchez (he/him)

Your friendly full-stack designer collaborating with people like you to create accessible (a11y) digital experiences—because everyone deserves equal access.

Purina & Mashable: Tails and Rails

Photo Hack Day 2

Angel Hack

Fashion Hackathon

AT&T Mobile Dev Hackathon

XO Group Hackathon

Hackers 4 Good: Hackers for Literacy

Nutmeg Creative: Volunteering - May 2016

Game Accessibility Symposium at Tencent with UKIE 2024: Speaker

Internal Presentations at Square Enix: Speaker

A11yTO Gaming 2024: Panelist

A11yTO Gaming 2023: Exhibitor & Presenter

Hispanic Heritage Month: TTS Diversity Guild 2022: Speaker

Internal Presentations at Weight Watchers: Speaker

This site’s responsive framework is built using Webflow with custom hand-coded HTML & CSS using Sublime. The site follows Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) AA standards. All photographs and images are my originals. The site as a whole does not contain analytics or tracking software except for the one embedded video.

Flight Studio 1