Government Website Inaccessibility and the Future of Accessibility in Information Technology

Abstract

Although the government has made efforts to mandate the accessibility of federal websites, such guidelines have ultimately failed at addressing the needs of the disability community. The law requiring the viewability of federal websites, Section 508, is enforced by the Access Board, a government agency. However, the guidelines for evaluating website accessibility are vague and do not include provisions for people with cognitive disabilities. Such insubstantial laws deny disabled people essential government benefits, opportunities to interact with the government, and knowledge about the legislation that affects them. Upon examining this literature, the practical impacts of exclusionary language were revealed. After reviewing relevant legislation, I explored research papers detailing the disparities caused by inaccessible legislation. Lastly, I examined current projects to develop my policy recommendations. I contend that stricter legislation and website testing boards led by people with disabilities will promote the proper administration of accessibility laws. I found that the approach employed by the Department of Justice to determine the accessibility of federal websites excludes the varied ways that disabled people interact with technology. The Department of Justice must clearly present and frequently release its accessibility assessments to promote accountability. Further, accessibility measurements must be led by people with disabilities, and the testing boards should be a coalition of communities, internet accessibility tools, and legislators to promote the agency of the most impacted. The institution of these initiatives would remove barriers restricting information from the people that the laws are intended to affect.