EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503

MEMORANDUM FOR CHIEF ACQUISITION OF FICERS

CHIEF INFORMATION OF FICERS

FROM : Daniel I. Gordon Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy

Vivek Kundra

Federal Chief Information Officer

SUBJECT : Improving the Accessibility of Government Information

The President identified transparency, participation, and collaboration as the principles of

an open government in his January 21, 2009, Memora ndum on Transparency and Open

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, which requires that government information and data be accessible to all citizens

. To ensure that persons with disabilities have equal access to their government, agencies must buy and use accessible electronic a nd information technology (EIT), as required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C 794d) , as amended

.

For example, a ccessible EIT allows a person who is blind or visually- impaired to consume information on an agency’s website; a fed eral employee who is deaf or hard of hearing

to access an agency’s webcast training ; and an individual in a wheelchair to make photocopies.

While some agencies have made progress in this area, all agencies must make accessibility a cornerstone of their open government plans. The purpose of this memorandum is to make agencies aware of existing resources and direct agencies to take stronger steps toward improving the acquisition and implementation of accessible technology.

Increasing Awareness of Responsibilities and Requirements

Building and maintaining an accessible environment requires that the information technology and acquisition communities partner when develop ing , procuring, us ing

, or maintain ing EIT

. The General Services Administration (GSA), as part of its statutory requirement to provide technical assistance to agencies on Section 508 implementation, has

created a number of tools, available at 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 2

**•** the Quick Links site helps build compliant requirements and solicitations;

3

1 provides pre-packaged Section 508 solicitation docu ments ;

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/

2 www.buyaccessible.gov July 19, 20102

**•** t he BuyAccessible Products and Services Directory 4

**•** the Section 508 blog provides a registry of companies and accessibility information about their offerings; and

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Emerging technologies and the introduction of new applications can present challenges for

the i mplementation of accessibility standards

. To assist agencies: provides a venue where stakeholders may share ideas and success stories, or engage in conversations on improving accessibility.

a) Within 180 days, the GSA Office of Governmentwide P olicy (OGP) will 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 a ccessible

.

b) Within 180 days, the GSA OGP will update its general Section 508 training to offer

refreshed continuous learning modules that can be used by contracting offic ers
, program/project managers (especially those managing IT programs) , and contracting officer technical representatives (COTRs) as they fulfill their Federal Acquisition Certification requirements.

Improving Agency Accountability and Accessibility Performance

As with any requirement, agencies must monitor their accessibility performanc e and should consider a variety of internal controls to ensure that agency man a gers are accountable for providing an accessible environment. To help agencies achieve an accessible environment, the

Chief Information Officers Council (CIOC) recently created an Accessibility Committee. This

new C ommittee is collaborating with GSA, the Department of Justice (DOJ) , and the U.S.

Access Board . T ogether these entities will take the following steps :

a) In September 2010, the GSA OGP and the D OJ will issue a surve y to allow agencies to assess their implementation of Section 508 , including accessibility of websites and other technology used by the agencies. This information will be used by the D OJ in preparing its next assessment of agency compliance as required by the Rehabilitation

Act. The CIOC Accessibility Committee will also use this information to identify best practices and lessons learned.

b) In the spring of 2011, the D OJ will issue a progress report on Federal agency compliance with Section 508 , the firs t since 2004. Going forward, DOJ will meet its obligation to issue a report biennially.

c) Beginning in FY 2011, the GSA OGP will begin providing OMB a quarterly

summary report containing results of Section 508 reviews of a sample of solicitations posted on FedBizOpps.gov. GSA will pr ovide the agencies a summary of the sampling results to facilitate sharing of best practices and successes, and to address common challenges.

3 https://app.buyaccessible.gov/baw/KwikLinksMain.jsp

4 https://app.buyaccessible.gov/DataCenter /

5 http://buyaccessible.net/blog/3

Improving Outreach and Communication

Citizen and em ployee engagement is important f or

understanding the needs of diverse communities and providing better solutions. Within 60 days, the GSA OGP and the U.S. Access

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Promoting equal access to government for persons with disabilities will improve the delivery of services to the public and ensure that all federal employees have the information and data they need to do their jobs. If you have any questions regarding this memorandum , please

contact Karen Pica in the Office of Federal Procu rement Policy at 202 -395-3302 or Janice Nall in the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology at 202-395-0368. , in collaboration with the Chief Acquisition Officers Council (CAOC) and CIOC, will design listening sessions and will research technology solutions to facilitate such sessions. The

sessions will be an opportunity for the government and interested members of the public to address concerns and propose ideas. Feedback from the sessions will be used by, and shared

across , agencies to improve accessibility and usability.

Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.

6 The Access Board is required by Section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to develop and maintain design criteria for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and for electronic and information technology.