On Behalf of the Accessibility Committee of the Federal CIO Council (29 U.S.C. 794d); Listening Session on Improving the Accessibility of Government Information, 8802-8804 [2011-3311]

Agencies

• Social Security Administration

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8802-8804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3311]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


On Behalf of the Accessibility Committee of the Federal CIO 
Council (29 U.S.C. 794d); Listening Session on Improving the 
Accessibility of Government Information

AGENCY: CIO Council, SSA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a listening session on improving the 
accessibility of government information. Section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d) requires federal agencies to buy 
and use electronic and information technology (EIT) that is accessible. 
On July 19, 2010, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued to a 
memo to federal agencies on ``Improving the Accessibility of Government 
Information'' which directs them to take stronger steps toward 
improving the acquisition and implementation of accessible technology. 
In order to better understand the needs of diverse communities and 
provide better solutions, the U.S. Council of CIOs, in collaboration 
with the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, the GSA Office of 
Governmentwide Policy, and the U.S. Access Board, is holding the first 
in a series of listening sessions to encourage citizens and employees 
to express their concerns and propose ideas. Persons with disabilities, 
their advocates, and government employees are invited to participate.

DATES: Meeting Date: The listening session will be held on Thursday, 
March 17, 2011, from 1:50 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. Pacific Time (PT).
    Persons wishing to address the panel at the listening session can 
pre-register by contacting Emily Koo at (410) 965-4472 or 
Innovate.Accessibility@ssa.gov. Pre-registrants will be given priority 
in addressing the panel in San Diego. Registration will also be 
available in person in San Diego on the afternoon of the listening 
session.

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: The listening session will be held at the 
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, One Market Place, San Diego, California 
92101 in the Randle E Meeting Room.
    Accommodations: The listening session will have sign language 
interpreters, CART (real time captioning) services, Assistive Listening

[[Page 8803]]

Devices (ALDs), and microphones. Materials will be available in 
Braille, large print, and electronic formats. The Manchester Grand 
Hyatt Hotel is wheelchair accessible. Anyone needing other 
accommodations should include a specific request when registering in 
advance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Koo at (410) 965-4472 or 
Innovate.Accessibility@ssa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation 
Act of 1973 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and 
information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. 
Inaccessible technology interferes with the ability to obtain and use 
information quickly and easily. Section 508 of the Act was enacted to 
eliminate barriers in information technology, open new opportunities 
for people with disabilities, and encourage development of technologies 
that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal 
agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic 
information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. 794d), agencies 
must give disabled employees and members of the public access to 
information that is comparable to access available to others.
    Effective implementation of Section 508 is an essential element of 
President Obama's principles of open government--requiring that all 
government and data be accessible to all citizens. In order for the 
goal of open government to be meaningful for persons with disabilities, 
technology must also be accessible, including digital content. In July 
2010, OMB took steps to ensure that the Federal Government's progress 
in implementing Section 508 is stronger and achieves results more 
quickly.
    Section 508 requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to 
provide technical assistance to agencies on Section 508 implementation. 
GSA has created a number of tools, available at https://www.Section508.gov, to help agencies to develop accessible 
requirements, test the acceptance process, and share lessons learned 
and best practices. For example:
     The BuyAccessible Wizard (https://www.buyaccessible.gov) 
helps build compliant requirements and solicitations;
     The Quick Links site (https://app.buyaccessible.gov/baw/KwikLinksMain.jsp) provides pre-packaged Section 508 solicitation 
documents;
     The BuyAccessible Products and Services Directory (https://app.buyaccessible.gov/DataCenter/) provides a registry of companies 
and accessibility information about their offerings; and
     The Section 508 blog (https://buyaccessible.net/blog/) 
provides a venue where stakeholders may share ideas and success 
stories, or engage in conversations on improving accessibility.
    OMB has directed that several actions be taken to improve Section 
508 performance:
     By mid-January 2011, GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy 
(OGP) is required to provide updated guidance on making government EIT 
accessible. This guidance will build upon existing resources to address 
challenges, increase oversight, and reduce costs associated with 
acquiring and managing EIT solutions that are not accessible.
     By mid-January 2011, GSA's OGP is required to update its 
general Section 508 training to offer refreshed continuous learning 
modules that can be used by contracting officers, program/project 
managers (especially those managing IT programs), and contracting 
officer technical representatives (COTRs), as they fulfill their 
Federal Acquisition Certification requirements.
     GSA's OGP and the Department of Justice (DOJ) will issue a 
survey to allow agencies to assess their implementation of Section 508, 
including accessibility of websites and other technology used by the 
agencies. DOJ will use this information in preparing its next 
assessment of agency compliance as required by the Rehabilitation Act. 
The Accessibility Committee of the Federal CIO Council will also use 
this information to identify best practices and lessons learned.
     In the spring of 2011, DOJ will issue a progress report on 
Federal agency compliance with Section 508, the first since 2004. Going 
forward, DOJ will meet its obligation to issue a report biennially.
     Beginning in FY 2011, GSA's OGP will begin providing a 
quarterly summary report to OMB containing results of Section 508 
reviews of a sample of solicitations posted on FedBizOpps.gov. GSA will 
provide the agencies with a summary of the sampling results to 
facilitate sharing of best practices and successes, and to address 
common challenges.
    This listening session hosted by Accessibility Committee of the 
Federal CIO Council will focus on what other steps the federal 
government can take to increase the accessibility and usability of 
government information and data for persons with disabilities. Input is 
sought on the following questions:
     What can technology do to improve things for people with 
disabilities?
     What can the Federal Government do to use technology 
better or in new ways?
     What can the Federal Government do to make technology more 
accessible?
     What emerging technologies used by the Federal Government 
leave you out?
     What technologies should the Federal Government use to 
enhance your interactions with it?
     What are State and local governments doing to improve 
information technology accessibility that the Federal Government should 
follow?
     What is academia doing to implement IT accessibility that 
the Federal government should follow?
     What is private industry doing to implement IT 
accessibility that the Federal government should follow?
     What can the Federal government do to influence technology 
accessibility?
     What can the Federal government do to support the 
availability of effective Communities of Practice on IT accessibility?
     From the perspective of Federal employees, how has Section 
508 improved your ability to do your job? How can implementation of 
Section 508 be improved?
     From the perspective of Federal employees, state employees 
and members of the public, do you want training on Section 508? What is 
the best way for you to learn about Section 508 and how it impacts your 
job or your access to government Web sites?
     From the perspective of vendors, how can implementation of 
Section 508 be improved?
     What could the Federal Government ask for that would allow 
vendors to better show that their products meet accessibility needs?
     What improvements could be made to the methods and 
processes used to establish whether a product is accessible 
(i.e.,VPATs)?
     Do you believe the IT industry would benefit from a 
professional certification or credential that denotes a company's 
expertise in accessibility? How could that be implemented and managed, 
and should the government play a role in making that happen?
    Feedback from the listening session will be used by, and shared 
across,

[[Page 8804]]

agencies to improve accessibility and usability.

Karen Palm,
Associate Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-3311 Filed 2-14-11; 8:45 am]
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