Casey, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Make Federal Technology More Accessible for People with Disabilities
Casey’s new Section 508 Refresh Act would require federal agencies take several steps to ensure people with disabilities can use federal technology, including websites
While Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal technology to be accessible for people with disabilities, a 2022 Casey investigation found that agency technology still falls short
Casey: “We would not ask someone using a wheelchair to walk up the courthouse steps, but we are doing something similar when we ask people with disabilities to use federal website, apps, kiosks, and other technologies that are not accessible”
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, John Fetterman (D-PA), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the Section 508 Refresh Act, a new bill that would require federal agencies to take a series of steps to ensure people with disabilities can use the federal government’s technology. While Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires agencies to make federal technology accessible, a 2022 Senate Aging Committee investigation by Chairman Casey found that department and agency technology, particularly within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is often out of compliance. In the investigation, Casey showed how these accessibility failures were creating barriers for people with disabilities who rely on federal technology for essential services, including health care, employment services, and Social Security benefits. Casey’s new bill will make the first significant changes to Section 508 since 1998, putting in place a framework that will hold agencies accountable for accessibility requirements.
“The federal government has an obligation to ensure that its services are accessible to people with disabilities, including its websites and technology,” said Chairman Casey. “We would not ask someone using a wheelchair to walk up the courthouse steps, but we are doing something similar when we ask people with disabilities to use federal websites, apps, kiosks, and other technologies that are not accessible. I’m introducing the Section 508 Refresh Act to compel federal agencies to make their technology accessible and ensure people with disabilities are not locked out of essential government services and resources.”
“Technology can’t serve as a tool to make life easier if people can’t access it in the first place,” said Senator Wyden. “Federal agencies shouldn’t be asking people with disabilities to move mountains in order to participate in everyday life for matters as basic as employment and health care. The federal government has a responsibility to serve the public by making sure that everyone can access and benefit from these technologies.”
“It's clear that the federal government is not doing enough to ensure services are accessible to people with disabilities,” said Senator Fetterman. “People with disabilities deserve better. By updating Section 508, this bill would enact long overdue requirements to ensure people with disabilities have equitable access to federal government services. I’m proud to cosponsor it.”
“So many Americans rely on programs and services provided by the federal government—and yet, too many federal websites and apps remain nearly impossible to use by Americans with disabilities, preventing them from accessing vital information and resources,” said Senator Duckworth. “I’m proud to help Senator Casey introduce this legislation that would help ensure federal websites and technology are more accessible for all users and make sure the disability community is not left behind in an increasingly digital world.”
Congress last made significant changes to Section 508 in 1998, when many federal agencies were just starting to use the internet, post online content, and have all government workers use computers. The Section 508 Refresh Act will enact long overdue updates to the law. Specifically, bill will:
- Require federal departments and agencies to include people with disabilities who consume government services and information or work as government employees in the acquisition and accessibility testing of federal technology.
- Reform the complaint process for Section 508 and establish a new process for deciding what federal technology is purchased – with rigorous accountability requirements for ensuring the technology is accessible.
- Mandate regular testing to ensure technology being used by federal departments and agencies is accessible to federal workers and all Americans using federal programs and information.
- Direct each federal department and agency to appoint qualified, dedicated Section 508 compliance officers to ensure the technology purchased and used by their departments and agencies is accessible.
Chairman Casey has led the charge to improve the accessibility of government websites and other technology. In a report issued in December 2022 entitled Unlocking the Virtual Front Door, Chairman Casey found that inaccessible federal technology creates barriers for people with disabilities to access essential services, including VA benefits, health care, employment, Social Security, and more.
In 2020, Chairman Casey passed the VA Website Accessibility Act that required VA to report on the accessibility of the Department’s websites and kiosks. VA’s report to Congress, released in 2021, found that only 10 percent of VA’s websites were fully accessible. In response, Chairman Casey led a bipartisan push for VA to do better.
To further advance accessibility at VA, Chairman Casey last year introduced the bipartisan Veterans Accessibility Act, which is supported by 15 veterans service organizations and disability groups. The legislation would establish a Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access at VA that issues regular reports on VA’s compliance with federal disability laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
Read more about the Section 508 Refresh Act here.
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