A recent report from the General Services Administration (GSA) finds that Federal agencies’ IT products and services – including websites, software, documents, and digital content – are largely not meeting digital accessibility standards.
The report looks at governmentwide compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires government information and communications technology (ICT) to be accessible for individuals with disabilities.
“Overall compliance to Section 508 is well below expectations given the Federal government has had over 20 years to implement programs capable of achieving and maintaining modern ICT standards,” the report says. “More than 75 percent of respondents are at or below average with respect to Section 508 compliance.”
The majority of the agencies that responded to GSA (76 percent) fall within the lower maturity and conformance categories, displaying performance well below the statutory requirement of Section 508.
Additionally, of the top 10 most viewed web pages, top 10 most viewed electronic documents, and top five viewed videos, the report found that, on average, less than 30 percent fully conform to Section 508 standards.
This poses a big problem, the report notes, as one in four adults live with disabilities in the United States. According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), individuals with disabilities represent 17 percent of the Federal workforce.
“The government as a whole is not meeting the minimum standard or legal obligation to provide equal access to all members of the public and Federal employees with disabilities,” the report says.
The assessment comes after the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released updated guidance in late December to help Federal agencies with their Section 508 compliance – the first update to the guidance in a decade.
Specifically, the guidance calls on agencies to establish an agency-wide Section 508 program and designate a leader accountable for defining and overseeing digital accessibility processes – including how digital accessibility issues are reported, tracked, and resolved – within 30 days.
The memo also calls on agencies to establish policies and procedures to manage the accessibility of ICT.
Within 90 days, OMB is directing agencies to establish digital accessibility statements on all their websites as well as establish a public feedback mechanism for receiving complaints or reports about accessibility issues with their websites and digital services and begin to track, review, and address feedback.
OMB also issued digital experience guidance in September, which featured some mandates on accessibility.
When the new IDEA Act guidance was issued, Federal CIO Clare Martorana said only two percent of government forms are currently digitized, 45 percent of websites are not mobile friendly, and 60 percent of websites are not fully usable by those who use assistive technologies.
“This is unacceptable. We can and must do better,” Martorana said.
