[NJTechDiv] U.S. Senate Committee Addresses Accessible Government Technology
Mario Brusco
mrb620 at hotmail.com
Sat Sep 23 23:54:15 UTC 2023
U.S. Senate Committee Addresses Accessible Government Technology
https://fcfreepresspa.com/u-s-senate-committee-addresses-accessible-government-technology/
Staff Report, September 22, 2023.
On July 20th, Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) of the U.S. Senate Special
Committee on Aging conducted a hearing titled “Unlocking the Virtual
Front Door: Ensuring Accessible Government Technology for People with
Disabilities, Older Adults, and Veterans.” The hearing, held a week
before the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of
1973, focused on accessible technology’s significance for veterans,
senior citizens, and individuals with disabilities in accessing
government services and information.
During the hearing, Chairman Casey mentioned his report, “Unlocking the
Front Door,” which identified accessibility issues within the Department
of Veterans Affairs and the federal government’s technology. He also
highlighted two bills: the Veterans Accessibility Act and the Federal
Agency Accessibility Compliance Act. These bills aim to guarantee that
federal government services, programs, and communications are accessible
to all Americans.
Chairman Casey stated that accessible government technology, including
websites and apps, is crucial for individuals with disabilities seeking
access to veterans’ benefits, transportation schedules, or tax payments.
He emphasized the importance of taking action to ensure accessibility
through the Biden Administration’s efforts and collaborative legislative
initiatives with Senators Rick Scott, Fetterman, Gillibrand, Blumenthal,
Duckworth, and Sanders.
One of the witnesses, Chris Westbrook, who is blind and serves as the
President of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania
Deaf-Blind Division and an accessibility engineer for Allyant, testified
about the daily challenges related to accessibility. He emphasized the
necessity of ensuring accessibility in government websites to provide
access to programs, services, and information for all constituents,
regardless of disabilities. Westbrook highlighted the need to integrate
accessibility from the design phase throughout the entire website
development process to achieve accessibility in government technology.
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