I still remember the day 15 years ago when I first met “David,” a procurement analyst with a successful track record working on missile contracts for the U.S. Navy. Although David is not his real name, the important part of the story is that David is blind.

I was sent to the naval base where David worked to better understand how he performed his job duties on what we often kindly refer to as “legacy” platforms.

David had developed a solid process over his career that included organizing entire file cabinets full of contract files and folders using braille labels; he also occasionally relied upon assistance from a sighted reader.

But when an update to the e-procurement platform he was using disabled his text-to-speech screen reading software right in the middle of a particularly large missile procurement, David was left scrambling.

What affected me most from our meeting, aside from being thoroughly impressed by David’s immense capabilities, was discovering that there was — and still is — a tremendous need for technologies that are fully usable by persons with disabilities.

So, when the White House released Memorandum M-24-08 recently, it was a clear signal that the government is taking federal technology accessibility seriously.

Titled “Strengthening Digital Accessibility and the Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act” (M-24-08), the memo serves as a roadmap for federal IT professionals to ensure government technology is accessible and usable by persons with disabilities.

To save you time reading M-24-08 in its entirety — although I encourage you to do so — here are some of the new memo’s key actions and highlights:

• Programmatic: Each agency must establish a designated digital accessibility program, one that is supported by leadership with clearly defined goals and the staff and resources needed to achieve accessibility.
• Establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Agencies must have formal policies, SOPs, and training materials available for all staff involved in the development, procurement, and maintenance of government technology.
• Buy Accessible: Agencies must incorporate robust accessibility requirements for vendors in all phases of the acquisition process, from the needs assessment to the contract language, and throughout the entirety of the development cycle.
• Test and Assess: Technology accessibility is not a “set it and forget it” proposition; regular monitoring is required using both automated and manual validation processes since even the smallest software update can break accessibility.

What Is Your Role?

Ensuring accessibility should be a priority for every stakeholder involved in government technology development, operation, and maintenance. Here are some key actions to take, based on your role:

Developers:

• Utilize both automated tools and manual user testing during all stages of your development process.
• Ensure compliance with the Revised Section 508 standards and provisions compiled by the U.S. Access Board.
• Pay special attention to keyboard-only navigation for blind users who rely on screen reading software and users with dexterity disabilities who cannot use a mouse.

IT Specialists:

• Become familiar with the U.S. Access Board’s Revised Section 508 standards, as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 standards established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).
• Identify accessibility barriers in real time through frequent monitoring, and establish a work ticketing resource that logs accessibility issues.
• Ensure colleagues keep accessibility “top of mind” and provide training resources or direct support when an issue crops up.

Project Managers:

• Plan and Budget: Prepare a plan that includes accessibility validation as a key part of the entire development lifecycle; ensure you have sufficient funds to cover accessibility/usability testing and remediation expenses.
• Stick to a Schedule: Work with developers and IT specialists to create a schedule for regular accessibility and usability testing.
• Collaborate: Actively work with both internal and external developers, designers, and product managers to ensure accessibility and usability during the technology acquisition, development, implementation, and maintenance phases.

Finally, there are going to be situations beyond your control in which a creative, temporary workaround is required due to outdated technology. For instance, in David’s situation, he was required to access a “green screen” e-procurement system that was developed decades prior to his Windows-based screen reading software.

In these rare cases, there is no single simple solution to ensure full access to information, so alternative methods must be pursued — sometimes requiring additional help from outside assistive technology experts.

Equal access to employment is a right and not a privilege. Only when we all work together can we ensure the American Dream is attainable for everyone, regardless of their physical ability.

Doug Goist is the program manager, workforce development, at NSITE, the talent enterprise for National Industries for the Blind. A recognized leader in the field of technology accessibility, Doug has worked with the U.S. Department of Defense, the military services, federal agencies, and private sector partners. Through NSITE, Doug provides accessibility consulting for the private and public sectors and identifies career tracks, professional development, and educational resources for job seekers who are blind and visually impaired. Learn more about Doug at https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-goist/.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov