[blindlaw] Web page : The Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA), Peatworks

[Nightingale, Noel]

http://www.peatworks.org/policy/accessible-technology-and-law/IDEA

The Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA)
Peatworks
Undated/No Author

The year 2018 closed with the passage of the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) in December, which promises to make federal websites more accessible, user friendly, and secure.

This new law requires federal agencies to modernize the websites and digital services they offer, according to eight specific criteria, including accessibility for people with disabilities. All federal agencies in the Executive Branch must already meet the accessibility standards of Rehabilitation Act Section 508, as codified in the Section 508 Rule published by the U.S. Access Board.  However, IDEA is noteworthy for several reasons, including its emphasis on increasing agencies' compliance with Section 508.

Within 180 days of the law's passage, all new and redesigned federal websites must comply with the new criteria, and agencies must submit plans to Congress for how they will accelerate the use of electronic signatures.

IDEA also requires federal chief information officers (CIOs) to coordinate with other executives and ensure that departments plan adequate funding and resources to execute these requirements.

The provisions include several significant requirements to make federal websites more user friendly, usable, and robust for all users, including a requirement that digital formats of all paper-based forms be available within two years. Under the requirements of IDEA, federal websites must:

*provide a customized digital experience to individual users
*maintain a consistent appearance
*be fully functional and usable on common mobile devices
*use an industry-standard secure connection
*contain a search function that allows users to easily search content intended for public use

These user-friendly requirements overlap substantially with principles of Universal Design, and their use by federal agencies should help make federal websites easier to use for everyone, including people with disabilities.