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By: Cate Burgan
Dec 21, 2023
2:53 pm
OMB Unveils Guidance to Put Accessibility at Center of Agencies’ Digital Experience
In the first update to the guidance in a decade, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today issued marching orders to agencies that aim to “advance digital accessibility by maintaining an accessible Federal technology environment, promoting accessible digital experiences, and continuing the implementation of accessibility standards.”
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act – a law that requires Federal technology to be accessible – was last updated in 2013.
“Currently, 61 million Americans live with a disability, but nearly half of the most popular Federal Government websites are not fully accessible to all Americans,” the Dec. 21 White House press release reads. “This lack of accessibility could lead to unequal access to critical services for millions of Americans.”
OMB said it is releasing updated guidance that “requires Federal agencies to put accessibility at the center of the Federal Government digital experience – so government can truly deliver for all Americans.”
In a memo dubbed “Strengthening Digital Accessibility and the Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act,” OMB Director Shalanda Young outlines the areas on which agencies must focus to build and sustain an accessible Federal technology environment.
Specifically, [...]