Access Board (ACCESS) Fiscal Year 2020 Agency Report

1. Please provide a summary of your agency’s activities undertaken to carry out the provisions of 

OMB Circular A-119, “Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus 

Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities” and the National Technology Transfer and 

Advance Act (NTTAA). The summary should contain a link to the agency’s standards-specific 

website(s) where information about your agency’s standards and conformity assessment related 

activities are available.

The U.S. Access Board (Access Board) is the only federal agency whose primary mission is accessibility 

for people with disabilities. We are responsible for developing, or assisting in the development of, 

accessibility standards and guidelines under several federal statutes, including: the Americans with 

Disabilities Act (buildings and facilities, and transportation vehicles), Architectural Barriers Act (federal 

buildings and facilities); Communications Act (telecommunications equipment); Rehabilitation Act 

(information and communication technology used or procured by federal agencies); Patient Protection 

and Affordable Care Act (medical diagnostic equipment); Food and Drug Administration Safety and 

Innovation Act (prescription drug labels); and Help America Vote Act (voluntary voting system 

guidelines).

In FY 2020, as in previous reporting years, the Access Board relied heavily on voluntary consensus 

standards to fulfill its regulatory mission. While we did not publish any new or revised substantive 

(technical) regulations during this fiscal year, our existing guidelines and standards continue to 

incorporate by reference about 25 voluntary consensus standards, ranging from web content 

accessibility guidelines to specifications that relate to the determination of playground surface 

accessibility.

The Access Board also has a long history of working with standards development organizations (SDOs) 

on the development of consensus standards relating to accessible design. In FY 2020, Access Board staff 

served on numerous SDO committees, technical working groups, and cooperative research panels to 

ensure that the agency’s technical expertise and perspective were brought to bear on the development 

(or revision) of model codes and standards that affect accessibility in a wide range of settings.

For example, agency staff served on, or provided technical assistance to, the following model code 

groups, SDOs, and research cooperatives:

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers, A18 Platform Lift and Stairway Chair Lift Committee;

• American Society of Testing and Materials, Committee on Sports Equipment, Playing Surfaces, and 

Facilities;

• International Code Council, Consensus Committee on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities 

(ASC A117);

• National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices;

• National Cooperative Highway Research Panel (sponsored by the Transportation Research Board 

(TRB:);

• Transportation Cooperative Research Panel (sponsored by TRB);

• Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Tech. Society of North America, Standards Comm. on 

Cognitive Accessibility;
• TRB Standing Committee on Innovative Public Transportation Services and Technologies;

• RESNA Standards Committee for Assistive Technology for Air Travel; and

• World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessibility Guidelines Working Group,

Additionally, in February 2020, the EAC’s Technical Guidelines Development Committee – on which two 

Access Board members serve as statutory members – published draft “Recommendations for 

Requirements for the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0” for public comment. In spring 2020, EAC 

held three virtual public hearings on these TGDC-recommended requirements in which the Access 

Board’s two TGDC members participated.

Additional information about the Access Board’s accessibility standards and guidelines can be found at: 

https://www.access-board.gov (see “Guidelines & Standards” tab).

2. Please list the government-unique standards (GUS) your agency began using in lieu of voluntary 

consensus standards during FY 2020. Please note that GUS which are still in effect from previous years 

should continue to be listed, thus the total number in your agency's report will include all GUS 

currently in use (previous years and new as of this FY): 0