[Senate Hearing 118-145]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-145
UNLOCKING THE VIRTUAL FRONT DOOR:
ENSURING ACCESSIBLE GOVERNMENT
TECHNOLOGY FOR PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES, OLDER ADULTS,
AND VETERANS
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
WASHINGTON, DC
__________
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
__________
Serial No. 118-08
Printed for the use of the Special Committee on Aging
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
53-747 WASHINGTON : 2023
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., Pennsylvania, Chairman
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York MIKE BRAUN, Indiana
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts MARCO RUBIO, Florida
MARK KELLY, Arizona RICK SCOTT, Florida
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia J.D. VANCE, Ohio
JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania PETE RICKETTS, Nebraska
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Elizabeth Letter, Majority Staff Director
Matthew Sommer, Minority Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Opening Statement of Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr., Chairman...... 1
Opening Statement of Senator Mike Braun, Ranking Member.......... 3
PANEL OF WITNESSES
Chris Westbrook, Accessibility Engineer, Allyant, Williamsport,
Pennsylvania................................................... 5
Ronza Othman, President, Maryland Chapter of the National
Federation of the Blind, President, National Association of
Blind Government Employees, Baltimore, Maryland................ 6
Jay Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, Service Oklahoma, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma................................................. 8
Ashley Lichtle, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Utah........................... 10
APPENDIX
Prepared Witness Statements
Chris Westbrook, Accessibility Engineer, Allyant, Williamsport,
Pennsylvania................................................... 27
Ronza Othman, President, Maryland Chapter of the National
Federation of the Blind, President, National Association of
Blind Government Employees, Baltimore, Maryland................ 30
Jay Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, Service Oklahoma, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma................................................. 38
Ashley Lichtle, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Utah........................... 40
Questions for the Record
Chris Westbrook, Accessibility Engineer, Allyant, Williamsport,
Pennsylvania................................................... 45
Ronza Othman, President, Maryland Chapter of the National
Federation of the Blind, President, National Association of
Blind Government Employees, Baltimore, Maryland................ 49
Jay Doyle, Chief Executive Officer, Service Oklahoma, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma................................................. 57
Ashley Lichtle, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Utah........................... 58
Statements for the Record
Department of Veterans Affairs Statement......................... 63
American Foundation for the Blind Statement...................... 68
BOSMA Enterprises Statement...................................... 74
Blinded Veterans Association Statement........................... 77
Deaf Seniors of America, Inc. and National Association of State
Agencies of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Statement............. 83
Department of Homeland Security.................................. 106
United States Access Board Statement............................. 109
Information Technology Innovation Foundation Statement........... 114
Perkins School for the Blind Statement........................... 117
Jonathan Lazar, Ph.D., Statement................................. 123
United States Department of Education Office of Inspector General
Statement...................................................... 129
California Governor's Office of Emergency Services Statement..... 133
Pennsylvania Office of Administration Statement.................. 139
UNLOCKING THE VIRTUAL FRONT DOOR:
ENSURING ACCESSIBLE GOVERNMENT
TECHNOLOGY FOR PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES, OLDER ADULTS,
AND VETERANS
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Thursday, September 21, 2023
U.S. Senate
Special Committee on Aging
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:03 a.m., Room
106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Robert P. Casey, Jr.,
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senator Casey, Braun, Blumenthal, Kelly,
Fetterman, and Rick Scott.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR
ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE
The Chairman. The hearing will come to order. Thank you to
our witnesses. I know I was running a little late, so didn't
have an opportunity to greet our witnesses, but thank you for
being here, and grateful to be here with Ranking Member Braun.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation
Act amendments of 1973. When they became law, these amendments
prohibited discrimination on the basis of disability by the
Federal Government in federally funded programs and by Federal
contractors.
With the passage of the Rehabilitation Act amendments, the
Federal Government made it a priority to ensure that every
person has access, access to government programs and services.
It also established the Foundation for the Americans with
Disabilities Act, passed some 17 years later.
Since the passage of the so-called Rehab Act, technology
has become an important doorway to government services at the
local, state, and Federal levels. The COVID-19 pandemic showed
us again the importance of using websites and apps as a way to
access government programs, services, and information.
Last year, this Committee examined the compliance, or I
should say examined compliance, of one part of the
Rehabilitation Act, Section 508, which requires Federal
technology to be accessible for and usable by people with
disabilities.
One of our witnesses, Jule Ann Lieberman of Devon,
Pennsylvania, testified she could not access CDC's COVID data.
Jule Ann told us that at that time, ``in crisis times, all need
access to trusted information and services.''
This is true for Federal agencies. It is equally important
for state and local governments to provide critical services,
especially those related to safety and emergency response.
In December of this past year, I released this report. The
name of it is, "Unlocking the Virtual Front Door." This report
found accessibility problems with technology at the Department
of Veterans Affairs, and unfortunately throughout the Federal
Government. I am pleased that because of bipartisan efforts
with members on this Committee, and through our Congress, some
improvements have been made.
The Veterans Administration reorganized its technology
access office and bolstered its efforts to make VA technology
accessible. The Justice Department and the General Services
Administration committed to new oversight and transparency of
accessible Federal technology. Many Inspectors General are also
taking a new look at accessibility.
For example, the VA Office of Inspector General plans to
release a report on the accessibility of VA technology in the
coming months, and we have seen progress to improve
accessibility of state and local government resources. In early
August, the Department of Justice issued a proposed rule
setting website and technology accessible--accessibility
standards for local and state governments.
These long overdue proposed standards are necessary to
ensure people who are blind, deaf, have physical disabilities,
or intellectual disabilities can access programs, services, and
information provided by local and state government.
I commend the Justice Department for issuing these proposed
rules. I know that the public will help strengthen them, and I
look forward to the final rule to make all government
technology more accessible for all Americans.
These are positive steps, but there--I should say, there
are more. There is more work we can do. There are positive
steps we in Congress can take. Recently, I worked with Senator
Rick Scott to introduce the Veterans Accessibility Act.
Our legislation would create a VA advisory committee to
oversee VA's compliance with all accessibility laws. People
with disabilities would serve on the committee, providing
important feedback, and today, a number of Senators and I will
introduce the Federal Agency Accessibility Compliance Act.
Our bill will bolster the role of Federal Section 508
compliance officers in Federal agencies, require agency and
department heads to personally certify, certify, that their
organization's technology is accessible, and to post plans and
timelines if their agency technology is not accessible.
These bills are common sense legislation designed to ensure
Federal Government services, programs, and communications are
accessible to all Americans, so, we have much more work to do
to make websites and technology at all levels of government
accessible, or, I might add, fully accessible.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about how we
can accomplish that goal, and I will now turn to Ranking Member
Braun for his opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR
MIKE BRAUN, RANKING MEMBER
Senator Braun. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Technology has
definitely changed the way we all live. No doubt about it. It
has been around for a long time. During COVID, though, far too
many in-person services were closed.
People were forced to turn to the internet for basic
services, from food to health care, and even local, state, and
Federal Government services. I caution against ever closing
physical doors again. Some places, technology is not
widespread.
Even in a State like ours, where we have been working hard
to get it into every nook and cranny. Many rural areas did not
have adequate good high-speed internet. We are relying on it
more and more all the time. Even though we need to keep, I
think, person to person services open as well, we need to, with
technology, design it with accessibility in mind.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act mandates that Federal
electronic and information technology be accessible to people
with disabilities. However, we have heard from many
constituents that the Federal Government has not done a good
job at complying, far too often leaving people with
disabilities behind.
That is why I joined with Chairman Casey in requesting a
GAO study into the Federal Government's compliance. While this
law generally does not apply to states, many states have taken
it upon themselves to improve the accessibility of their
services. States are generally going to be a lot more
responsive, a lot quicker at getting something done.
Not to mention that they are laboratory of different ways
that might make sense for other states to pay attention to and
rub off on the Federal Government as well. While this law
generally does not apply to states in a mandatory way, it
still--we should not rely on this place to craft those
solutions.
In Indiana, for instance, mobile and digital services are
available, and we have done a good job with it. For more than a
decade, the Indiana State Government website has included
screen readers, quarterly accessibility audits, high contrast
views, and modifiable screen size.
In 2021, Indiana added a new feature, accessiBe, which
allows users to modify their experience for various
accessibility profiles, including seizure, safe vision
impaired, cognitive disability, or blindness, and the State
works with local governments to make their website platform
available to them, so far, more than 70 local governments in
Indiana use the state government platform, of 92 counties. That
is a pretty good percentage. We have got places like Bosma
Enterprises in Indiana that have been on this pursuit for a
long time.
It utilizes cutting edge assistive technology and computer
training programs to help Hoosiers with vision loss regain
their independence. I ask unanimous consent to enter into the
record a statement from Bosma Enterprises.
The Chairman. Without objection.
Senator Braun. This type of work is not unique to just
Indiana. States like Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, who we will hear
from today, are all leading in technology accessibility.
We must ensure that states do not lose the flexibility they
need to continue to introduce programs and mechanisms that work
best for their unique communities. I am encouraged by the
states' leadership and urge them to continue to explore ways to
improve accessibility.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member Braun. Now, we will
introduce our witnesses. Our first witness is Mr. Chris
Westbrook of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Mr. Westbrook is an
experienced Programmer and an Accessibility Engineer for
Allyant, a company that evaluates whether websites are
accessible for people with disabilities.
Mr. Westbrook is blind, hard of hearing, and has a mobility
disability. That means he knows firsthand how accessible--or I
should say inaccessible websites can impact people with
disabilities.
Mr. Westbrook will discuss those personal experiences. He
will also talk about the more common website barriers he has
learned from his work. Mr. Westbrook, thank you for testifying
today.
Our second witness is Ms. Ronza Othman. Ms. Othman is
President of the Maryland Chapter of the National Federation of
the Blind. She is also President of NFB's National Association
of Blind Government Employees.
Today, she will discuss how members of these organizations
have been impacted by inaccessible government technology at the
Federal, state, and local levels. Thank you for sharing these
stories with us today, Ms. Othman.
I will now turn to Ranking Member Braun to introduce our
third witness.
Senator Braun. Mr. Jay Doyle is a CEO of Service Oklahoma,
a State agency focused on making it easier for people in
Oklahoma to get the services they need.
Service Oklahoma is a model of sate innovation that has
been nationally recognized. Jay is a visionary leader with a
diverse career that revolves around service. His work has been
recognized through multiple accolades, including the OKC Biz
40, under 40, and Oklahoma's Next Generation Award.
Jay earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the
University of Oklahoma. He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife
and daughter, and I understand you had an anniversary
yesterday, happy anniversary, Jay, and thank you for being here
today to testify.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member Braun. Our final
witness is Ashley Lichtle. Ashley is the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator for Salt Lake City, Utah.
Previously, she worked as a disability advocate at the Partners
for Inclusive Communities in Arkansas.
She will discuss why accessible websites and apps are
important for Salt Lake City, as well as the City's efforts to
make its technology more accessible. We appreciate you taking
the time to testify.
Now we will start with our witness statements. We will
start first with Mr. Westbrook. Please share your opening
statement.
STATEMENT OF CHRIS WESTBROOK, ACCESSIBILITY ENGINEER, ALLYANT,
WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA
Mr. Westbrook. Good morning, Chairman Casey, Ranking Member
Braun, and members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
I am a blind Pennsylvanian serving as the Secretary for the
Board of Directors of the Road to Freedom Center for
Independent Living of North Central Pennsylvania. I also am
President of the National Federation of the Blind of
Pennsylvania's Deaf-Blind Division.
I also work in the field of web accessibility as an
Accessibility Engineer for a company called Allyant, so, I deal
with accessibility issues on a daily basis, both personally and
professionally. Government websites must be accessible so that
all constituents at all levels of government have access to
programs, services, and information.
For example, imagine not being able to file your local
taxes online. This is the situation I face simply because I
have a disability. When I went to the county website to pay my
taxes online, I couldn't because I couldn't find the button
used to submit the form.
This ultimately forced me to seek sighted assistance to
perform a task that everyone else can perform independently.
Being forced to use sighted assistance means that I have to
reveal private and sensitive information to someone else,
something a sighted person would never have to do.
I have also tried to use our city's website, but I don't
think I am getting all the information as the links all
announce there is a submenu that I cannot access. This could
result in missing key local services. People with disabilities
need to be able to perform the same tasks as our non-disabled
peers when it comes to work, recreation, and community living.
How do we get there? To make government websites
accessible, we must improve standards such as the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG. We must also recognize that
accessibility is not a one and done deal but is always changing
due to advances in technology and changes in website software.
To ensure that government websites and technology are
accessible, people with disabilities need to be involved in the
development of the websites and the monitoring of the websites
to ensure they remain accessible.
One strategy for ensuring accessibility is to have people
with disabilities, in conjunction with non-disabled advocates
and peers, test and monitor websites and technology together.
At Allyant, we perform what is called paired auditing, where a
native screen reader user is paired with a sighted auditor.
This helps ensure that the disables are getting an
equitable experience to non-disabled users and ensures possible
barriers to accessibility are identified for all types of
disabilities, not just blind people. For people like me, and
really for all Americans, accessibility needs to become just
another part of doing business.
Accessibility must be considered from the design phase all
the way through the process of implementing and maintaining a
website. That is how we make government technology and all
technology accessible. Again, thank you for your time, and I
hope my testimony and expertise can move us closer to a world
that is accessible to all.
The Chairman. Mr. Westbrook, thank you for your testimony,
and thanks for your good work. We now turn to Ms. Othman for
your opening statement.
STATEMENT OF RONZA OTHMAN, PRESIDENT, MARYLAND
CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE
BLIND, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLIND
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
Ms. Othman. Good morning. I would like to thank Chairperson
Casey, Ranking Member Braun, and all of the other members of
the Special Committee on Aging for this opportunity to offer
testimony on the impact of inaccessible technology in
government.
My name is Ronza Othman, and by day I am an employee of an
executive branch Federal agency, where I am an attorney and
manage equal employment opportunity and civil rights programs.
However, I am testifying before you in my personal capacity, as
in my spare time, I serve as a leader in the National
Federation of the Blind.
As Chairman Casey indicated, my roles include serving as
the President of the National Association of Blind Government
Employees, where I engage with current, retired, and
prospective employees of Federal, state, and local government
agencies across the Nation.
I am also the President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Maryland, representing blind and low vision
Marylanders who work for government, but who also, like most
Americans, engage with Federal, state, and local government for
a variety of reasons.
Access to information and communication technology,
including hardware, software, web, and mobile applications, and
other platforms and information is a critical civil right for
the blind, other Americans with disability, and the ever-
growing aging population.
Technology has been a true equalizer for blind and low
vision Americans, as well as many others with disabilities, so
much of the information we receive on a daily basis is
communicated visually, and the proliferation of technology has
enabled our community to gain access to that information at the
same time as our non-disabled counterparts.
Today, I can use the phone in my pocket to operate my ring
doorbell, operate my vacuum, set my thermostat, reheat my
leftovers, and half a dozen other tasks in my house when I am
not even at home. These are all mainstream technologies, not
adaptations, made for people with disabilities.
However, the origins of these adaptations resulted in
mainstream technology. In essence, when a manufacturer or
developer chooses to build a product and includes accessibility
at the beginning, virtually everyone can use it, but when it
comes to engaging with our government, these technologies are
woefully behind.
Often government procured, maintained, or developed ICT is
not accessible to those of us with disabilities. It is neither
difficult nor costly to make ICT accessible for individuals
with disabilities. If accessibility is baked into the system at
the development stage, it is simply coding in a way that
ensures information is tagged properly and navigable by
assistive technology. Imagine making a pizza and adding the
pizza sauce.
Now, imagine making a pizza and omitting the pizza sauce
prior to making it. Then imagine trying to put the sauce on
after the pizza has been baked, sliced, and even some of it
served. It is a difficult but not impossible task to fix the
pizza, but it would have been a lot easier to just have added
the sauce from the beginning.
Here are some examples our members have experience that
illustrate the impact of inaccessible technology. A substitute
teacher in one county school district was told that she would
not be assigned to the district's middle schools because their
attendance recording system was not accessible with her screen
reader.
A state employee newly hired to work at a call center for a
state comptroller's office had her job offer rescinded after
the State determined its tax information data-base was not
accessible with assistive technology.
A Department of Defense employee was kicked out of a
training program in which she had been enrolled for five years
and had nearly completed when her agency determined that its
testing systems for certification were no longer accessible to
assistive technology users. Dozens of state employees and a
number of states who use the same software application could no
longer enter their time and attendance in their states'
timekeeping system due to updates that broke accessibility.
Law enforcement entities have to enter information about
law enforcement officers that are under investigation, which
would then potentially render their testimony problematic.
Prosecutors have to check those data-bases in disclose and
discovery if any officers are under investigation. However, if
they fail to do so, the entire case is likely to be thrown out
and potential criminals are set free.
In the last few weeks, I have heard from two different
blind prosecutors from different sides of the country who have
had near misses in terms of disclosing this information to
opposing counsel in discovery.
The reason? The system is not accessible to assistive
technology. Imagine a scenario when it wasn't a near miss, but
because the prosecutor didn't have effective, accessible tools,
they unknowingly failed to disclose such information, which
resulted in a case being thrown out and a potential violent
criminal being released to commit another crime. Had the
technology been accessible, this wouldn't be a concern.
These are just a handful of examples, but there are
hundreds, if not thousands of others. In my written testimony,
I shared some recommended actions that will improve 508
compliance across the Federal Government.
Chief among them is that the access board must be
sufficiently resourced to do the job it has been tasked, and
there have to be improvements in accountability and enforcement
across the Federal Government. I also shared in my written
testimony information about which states have laws and policies
related to technology accessibility.
I shared some of the recommendations for state and local
government to improve in this area. One key framework will be
the ADA Title II regulations. However, the notice of proposed
rulemaking proposes seven new exceptions that are so
problematic that they will erase the decades of progress in the
accessibility space.
We strongly urge the Department of Justice not to adopt any
of those new exceptions. We work in government, those of us who
do, because we care about this country and the people who live
in it.
Though our eyes don't work in the typical way, we are
capable of serving the public and doing so well, provided the
technology is developed with basic accessibility in mind. In a
day and age where technology advances at the speed of light, we
are not limited by our disabilities.
We are limited by the government that fails to include our
needs in its technology infrastructure. This is not a
capability problem. This is a willingness problem. Do Federal,
state, and local government have the willingness to be
different? Only time will tell. Thank you very much.
The Chairman. Ms. Othman, thanks so much for your
testimony. Before turning to our next witness, we are joined by
Senator Blumenthal and Senator Kelly as well. Mr. Doyle.
STATEMENT OF JAY DOYLE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
SERVICE OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
Mr. Doyle. Honorable members of the U.S. Senate Aging
Committee, I am honored to testify here today to tell Service
Oklahoma's story on how we are improving the accessibility
government services for all Oklahomans.
Home to Four million people, the State provides vital
services to citizens during some of the most important times of
their lives. From obtaining essential documents like birth
certificates, driver's licenses, motor vehicle registrations,
and professional licenses, to facilitating employment
opportunities, Oklahomans rely on efficient and responsive
government services.
However, as we have witnessed, these services are often
necessitate navigating a labyrinth of agency websites, offices,
and phone numbers, a problem magnified during the pandemic when
access to these services became more critical than ever.
Citizens found themselves waiting on the phone for hours or
even camping outside agency offices overnight just to secure
their spot in the line. It was clear that transformation was
needed.
Service Oklahoma was created by the Oklahoma Legislature in
May 2022, with a mission to ease citizens' stress in navigating
and obtaining government services, while providing a great
experience.
Starting with your stereotypical DMV services, Service
Oklahoma started the Administration of our driver's license
program in November 2022, and our motor vehicle program for the
State in January 2022--or January 2023, transferring those
existing functions and employees from the agencies that
previously offered those services.
Today, we are responsible for seven million transactions
and generate almost $1 billion in revenue for the State on an
annual basis. The overarching goal of Service Oklahoma is to
create a seamless, consistent experience regardless of whether
you visit our website, call our customer support
representatives, or come see us at one of our strategically
located locations spread across all counties of the State of
Oklahoma.
We want to meet Oklahomans where they are, designing
services around the citizen, making services easy to
understand, available when and where they need them, and being
proactive instead of reactive.
While still in our infancy, we have been able to
significantly improve our services and launch various new and
improved digital products for our citizens. There is one that I
want to specifically highlight, which also happened to be our
first product launch, the disability parking placard, which
impacts almost 100,000 Oklahomans each year.
Historically, disabled Oklahomans in need of a disability
parking placard were required to complete a ten-step process
that often included repeated contact with their approving
physician and multiple visits to the Department of Public
Safety headquarters in Oklahoma City.
For Oklahomans outside of the Oklahoma City Metro area,
this step would require them to travel for hours before they
had the benefit of a disability parking placard. Once the
customer navigated the cumbersome application process, they
were left with no means to check the status of their
application, while they waited on average of 45 days to finally
receive the disability placard.
The process was further complicated by the fact that their
applications were occasionally lost during this process. These
obstacles created by the original process led to poor customer
satisfaction, and in some instances, served as a complete
roadblock to Oklahomans' ability to receive government
services.
A multi-agency collaborative program was launched by a team
now known to Service Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Department of
Public Safety to reimagine this process for obtaining a
disability parking placard in a more customer centric,
digitally oriented, and accessible manner.
The team also worked with the Oklahoma Medical Board to
engage physicians in this pilot process. The high-level
strategy behind the digital disability placard was to
understand existing pain points from the perspective of all
stakeholders, but especially the customer, and iteratively
improve each version of the online product based on surveys and
interactions with disabled Oklahomans, employees who process
the applications, and physicians.
The resulting disability placard product dramatically
improved the experience for all stakeholders involved.
Customers now have the option to apply online through an easy
to find, an easy-to-use form, with no in-person visits
required.
This new application to shorten wait times by almost 90
percent and eliminated 60 percent of the steps required by the
original process. Customer satisfaction with the new
application is high, with customers rating the process a 6.2
out of seven and applauding the ability to track the
application process and ultimately receive their disability
placard from the comfort of their homes. Service Oklahoma
represents a profound shift in how Oklahoma's government
interacts with its citizens.
By focusing on simplicity, accessibility, and efficiency,
we are positioning Oklahoma as a leader in providing government
services that meet the evolving expectations of our citizens.
In closing, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to tell our
story.
Service Oklahoma's journey is a testament to what can be
achieved when we prioritize the citizens' needs. We are eager
to collaborate, share insights, and work together to knock the
virtual front door to government services for everyone. Thank
you for your time. I look forward to your questions and
discussion.
The Chairman. Mr. Doyle, thanks for your testimony. Next,
we turn to our fourth and final witness, Mr. Lichtle--Ms.
Lichtle, sorry.
STATEMENT OF ASHLEY LICHTLE, AMERICANS WITH
DISABILITIES ACT COORDINATOR FOR SALT LAKE
CITY, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
Ms. Lichtle. Thank you. Hello, members of the Committee. My
name is Ashley Lichtle. I would like to thank Chairman Casey,
Ranking Member Braun, their teams, and the other members of
this Committee for this opportunity.
This has been a top initiative of mine since I joined the
Mayor's Office in 2021, so I am honored to be here with you all
today. The rush to go virtual during the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic revealed that most functions of daily life were easily
able to be digital, but more importantly, it exposed just how
inaccessible much of our digital spaces are when improperly
designed or designed without the user experience in mind.
The COVID-19 pandemic also revealed how vital and sometimes
lifesaving it is that all people have equal access to
information from their Federal, state, and local governments.
Governments have utilized digital spaces to provide pertinent
information as a means of engaging with the public for decades,
yet still fall short in providing fully accessible digital
spaces.
The ADA greatly influenced the inclusion of people with
disabilities in the built environment, but there remains a
large gap in digital spaces. Governmental entities want to be
accessible to and inclusive of their residents, but unlike
stairs or narrow walkways, inaccessible features of websites
and other digital spaces are invisible to those who do not rely
on them unless they have been trained to seek out and remedy
these barriers to access.
Salt Lake City's current website templates are often
inaccessible with little ability to adjust template features.
The city is migrating to a new system that will allow for
greater flexibility in fixing any accessibility issues. This
migration will also allow the city to utilize APIs from other
local apps to build what our residents and visitors need to
navigate our digital and physical spaces more independently.
This move away from some third party app developers is
vital to the engagement of people with disabilities in our
city. Recently, I worked with our Information Management
Services team, a low vision resident, and the city's
Accessibility and Disability Commission Chair, who is a blind
individual, to identify ways the City Request App was
inaccessible to them.
When reviewing this with the developer, they informed us
that some issues were well known to them and would not be fixed
in any upcoming updates. Therefore, this app would remain
inaccessible to the resident and others like him.
We can create an accessible user experience with our new
website and apps through partnerships like the National
Federation of the Blind of Utah and through the expertise of
our city's Accessibility and Disability Commission.
Having implementation guidance from the Federal Government
would further improve the design and development of these
spaces. Designing digital content with all users in mind is
also crucial for civic engagement. People with disabilities
have been underrepresented in civic engagement efforts or
entirely prevented from participation in civic engagement
efforts throughout history.
Therefore, utilizing WCAG 2.1 and digital surveys, and
other digital engagement content is vital for the inclusion and
participation of our residents with disabilities. Our civic
engagement team collaborates with me often to review
accessibility before surveys are released to the public.
This team is also compiling a style guide for creating
engaging and inclusive surveys. We value the contributions of,
and feedback from, the disabled community in improving our
city, and work to make sure our content reflects those values.
Data shows, on average, people with disabilities make up
roughly 25 percent of the population.
This is a significant amount of people that may not be able
to perceive, interact with, or understand the digital content
governments create, which can result in frustration, lack of
engagement, and at the very worst, feelings of isolation.
Adopting WCAG 2.1 would be a much-needed step toward the
full participation and independence of people with
disabilities. It is imperative that entities understand how to
comply with WCAG 2.1, so I urge the Department of Justice, U.S.
Access Board, and ADA National Network to be diligent in
creating technical guidance, especially plain language guides
and trainings, for entities as they implement these
regulations.
Thank you all for your work on this vital effort for
inclusion.
The Chairman. Ms. Lichtle, thank you very much for your
testimony. We will turn to our questions now. I will start with
Mr. Westbrook. Chris, you shared your experiences living with
disabilities and you also have worked as both a software
engineer and now as an accessibility engineer.
Through both your everyday life and your professional
experience, you know about barriers, and you highlighted some
in your testimony that exist in modern technology. You know
that when inaccessible--you know that inaccessible technology
can limit independence and place a person at a personal and
professional disadvantage.
Can you share with us a little more about how inaccessible
Federal, state, or local websites can affect the day to day
life of someone with a disability?
Mr. Westbrook. Sure, so, I just heard from a friend
yesterday about this new--they were trying to file for
unemployment, and they were stymied, I guess you could say, by
this ID.me. I guess it is like a new way to verify somebody's
identity due to the camera and stuff like that, and they
couldn't get past it.
You know, you can imagine, you know, you have already--you
know, you have lost your job, and you are trying to file for
unemployment, which is stressful enough, and then, you know, to
have that barrier in your way is just, you know, creates
additional stress and isolation, even sometimes, so, yes.
The Chairman. You had made reference in your testimony
about when you were completing a form, and I don't know if you
could just refer back to that, completing a form and just
finding the right button and barriers like that. Can you walk
through that?
Mr. Westbrook. Yes, so, buttons need to be coded in such a
way as to be--so that it is going to--you can tell that they
are actionable buttons, and if they are not coded the right
way, they can just look like normal text, and sometimes even if
you do think it is the right button, you know, if you hit
anywhere on it or whatever using keyboard, it doesn't work
because it is expecting a mouse--you know, set up a mouse for
you to click on it, and sometimes, depending on how it is
coded, no amount of keyboard input will make it work, and that
was the case with that particular form.
The Chairman. Is it true you end up using kind of
workarounds to compensate for it?
Mr. Westbrook. Yes. There are a few services out there. One
of them is called ARRA, A-R-R-A, and that is a service that you
can call and get a sighted assistant to--well, they can do
anything, but they can connect to your computer in this case
through remote technology and control your computer as if they
were you.
You can tell them what to do and they can, you know, they
can help you navigate the website, but that is a paid service,
and so, you know, it is not free, so some people might not be
able to afford it. You only get a certain number of minutes per
month.
You know, it is really important that technology be made
accessible and that these workarounds are just that,
workarounds. You know, sometimes we have to start to get the
job done. You know, we just have to do what we need to do, but
ultimately, it is really important that technology be made
accessible.
The Chairman. Yes. Well, thanks very much for that. Ms.
Othman, I am going to make reference to the history of the 50th
anniversary of the passage of the Rehabilitation Act
amendments, as I mentioned earlier. These amendments were
really groundbreaking. Among other things, created the U.S.
Access Board.
The Act states in part that it requires, ``access to
programs and activities that are funded by Federal agencies and
to Federal employment.'' For both the public and for Federal
employees themselves, a key pathway to accessing Federal
agencies and programs is through the technology that we have
talked about.
The Department of Justice issued a report 10 years overdue
that show that only 20 percent, just 20 percent, of Federal
websites are accessible at best. I would ask you this, what do
you consider the most common barrier to websites and technology
accessibility at all levels of government?
Ms. Othman. Thank you. That is a great question. I believe
that the most common barrier to websites and any type of
application related technology is knowledge, education. People
don't know that they have to do it, or they don't know how to
do it, and so they don't do it.
The other--on par with that is also prioritization. If we
prioritize accessibility at the same level that we prioritize
security, privacy, other technology related aspects, so many
people with disabilities wouldn't be left behind because we--
there are problems with privacy and security when you are
standing at a Social Security kiosk and you have to use a
security guard or you have to use a bystander and tell them
Social Security number so that they can get you into the kiosk
to tell the Social Security Administration that you are there
for an appointment that you have pre-scheduled, or when you are
standing there talking to the receptionist at the VA, sharing
your medical history so that they can fill out an inaccessible
form for you, and now they and everyone within earshot can hear
you.
I think it is both the lack of knowledge and understanding,
but also on that same level is the non-prioritization of
accessibility on those same lines as security and privacy in
the Federal space.
The Chairman. I think that is a good way to think about it.
Ranking Member Braun.
Senator Braun. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have two
questions for Mr. Doyle and one for Ms. Othman. Mr. Doyle, your
Service Oklahoma is on the front lines, it seems like, in
Oklahoma, on innovation.
When I came to D.C., I wanted to make sure my own offices
here, especially back home, did as well as customer service in
the business I ran for 37 years. When you take that customer
service to a new level, I think it shows how you can do at any
level something better than maybe what was done before.
Tell me how prioritizing customer service there in Oklahoma
has enabled you to take it to the next level? Will it actually
aid in a way to expand it further?
Mr. Doyle. Thank you for that question. You know, for us,
we put the citizen at the front of everything that we do. It is
the center of our business. Our name is Service Oklahoma,
because we are here to serve our citizens.
We would be doing a disservice if we didn't design our
services with our citizen in mind, and so, anything that we
actually build, design, change, we start with actual citizen
interviews, having conversations with the person that is
actually going to be using the product, trying to determine
their pain points, trying to figure out their feedback on what
will work and what will not work.
We also want to believe that our methodology is really
iterative, and so, even after those initial interviews, that is
not where our--the feedback loop starts for us, because even
after we initially launch a product and even into all of our
products today, at the end of every service, we actually ask
the citizen for feedback, and we want feedback for how can we
improve--the service we just provided or offered you, and then
we actually take that to heart and actually continually try to
change and improve the products that we offer.
As we continue to improve our products and better meet the
needs of our citizens, you know, we are improving our first
time resolution rate. We are decreasing our transaction times.
We are actually making our services more efficient for the
State and actually a better product for our citizens.
You know, we view feedback truly as a gift. It is the
driver of everything that we do. The products and our product
roadmap of what are we going to innovate or what are we going
to improve next is really truly driven by customer feedback and
what are the needs that we are hearing and seeing on the front
lines from our citizens.
Senator Braun. Thank you. The second question would be
involving Federal regulations. Whenever we are going after
improving, or doing it right in the first place, there
sometimes can be a conflict between.
Sometimes it works well together. How have the Federal
regulations dovetailed with what you have been trying to
accomplish in Oklahoma? Has it made it easier or harder to
arrive at better results?
Mr. Doyle. You know, we always are looking at both our
Federal and state regulations. Obviously, we are in a fairly
regulated, highly regulated industry just from the services
that we provide on a day-to-day basis.
You know, we want to be sure that we are not violating any
statutes, both federally and locally, as well as jeopardizing
any potential funding, so, I think those are obviously key
items that we are looking at.
You know, I would say, additionally, we are examining how
can a burden of regulations or compliant requirements have on
the speed to launch or the cost to actually implement a
product.
I think we are definitely having those conversations and
concerns as we are looking at future products, but for us, the
really decisio-nmaking for where we go with our products and
how can we actually provide a better service is really getting
back about the customer. Is it going to generate a substantial
benefit for our citizens either through a simpler experience or
more accessibility to services?
What are our development or ongoing costs going to be when
we are launching a new digitally enabled product? Because
ideally that shouldn't cost us any more than it was previously
to offer that service.
We really want to be focused on being good stewards of
taxpayer funds, and then finally, what is the impact on the
citizens? Is it going to impact a high number of citizens or
have a significant impact to their lives are really the real
drivers we are looking at when deciding what services to kind
of bring online.
Senator Braun. Thank you. Ms. Othman, last August, I joined
Chairman Casey in asking the GAO to study the Federal
Government's compliance with Section 508. This study will
examine how the Federal Government complies with laws requiring
accessible technology. In your opinion, to what extent does the
Federal Government comply with laws requiring accessible
technology?
Ms. Othman. Thank you, Senator, for the question. In my
opinion, and based on my experience with my constituents, I can
tell you that I believe the Federal Government is largely and
substantially noncompliant with Section 508 across the board.
That this is a systemic issue, and Federal agencies that do
comply are rare and far between. I can also tell you, Senator,
that the number of complaints that are cataloged and processed
is both significantly less than the number of issues that
actually exist, and also based on under-reporting to Congress
and other entities.
Most Federal agencies don't have a structure for 508
complaints processing, so we don't actually know how bad it is.
Added to that, no employee wants to sue their employer or file
a complaint. Most employees will try to find workarounds.
They will spend lots of time doing this. Most individuals
with disabilities solve 100 problems before they even show up
to work in the morning, and so, if these were simple problems
in terms of inaccessibility, they would solve them themselves.
No employee wants to make themselves vulnerable by going to
their supervisor or their agency to say, I am struggling to do
my job, period, let alone because of something directly related
to their disability, meaning the inaccessibility.
While I absolutely applaud and support the GAO study, I am
also deeply concerned because I do not believe that Federal
agencies are properly keeping records or that there is an
accountability or enforcement mechanism in place to accurately
capture the number and volume of inaccessibility, or the
individuals that that impacts.
Senator Braun. That is disappointing to hear, and I think
it ought to give us pause before we try to maybe do more
through the Federal Government when it seems to be clear that
it is not complying with some of the same--some of the things
it has put out there.
I think it also means that we have got to make sure that
states, especially the ones that are wanting to be innovative,
are out there to where they have full flexibility to probably
do a better job.
Sadly, we have completed in my own office as a freshman
Senate office, 10,000 cases back home across the array of
Federal entanglements, and that is an amazing number in a
little under five years.
I just think hearings like this expose in a way the truth
of what is being done, what is not being done, practice what
you preach, and please make sure that we keep the flexibility
for states to do what appears to be a better job with a report
like that. I yield back.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member Braun. We have to
take a break in the hearing now. This hearing of the Special
Committee on Aging will recess so that members can attend an
all Senators session to hear from Ukrainian President Zelensky.
The Committee will reconvene in this room after the session
concludes at approximately 11:00 a.m. This Committee stands in
recess.
[Recess.]
The Chairman. The hearing will come to order again. We are
grateful for your patience when we had to take a break to
listen to President Zelensky. It was an honor to be able to do
that. I know we are starting late, so I am going to go right to
two of our Senators who are here waiting patiently. Senator
Scott of Florida.
Senator Rick Scott. I thank the chairman for hosting this
and for his commitment to trying to figure out how we continue
to help people that need help in our country. In Florida, we
have heard from veterans that agencies continue to make their
processes more--as they make their processes more digital, it
has become increasingly difficult for disabled veterans to
continue to receive the care and services they are accustomed
to.
For example, the VA Beneficiary Travel Service Self Service
System has been a physical form for years, VA form 103542, and
as the VA made the program digital in July 2020, we have
veterans who are being told they cannot file this form in
person yet are unable to use the online BTSSS process portal
for a variety of reasons, including disabilities that inhibit
their ability to use the online system, and they are suffering
from not receiving their benefits in a timely manner.
Clearly, I think all of us would agree, that has got to get
fixed. Our nation's veterans deserve the highest quality
service we can provide. I am proud to join Chairman Casey on a
commonsense bill, the Veterans Accessibility Act, to ensure
that the VA and all of its services are accessible for
individuals with disabilities.
I want to thank the chair for doing that. Giving veterans
and people with disabilities a voice to improve accessibility
at the VA is at the core of this bill and central to ensuring
that no one is left behind. I have just got a few questions.
What are you all doing, and what should we do to improve
accessibility to--or improve accessibility does not negatively
impact user experience and participation of people with
disabilities, older adults, and veterans in government
services. There is no order. Whoever feels comfortable going
first. Jay looks like you are going to go first.
Mr. Doyle. Yes. Senator Scott, thank you for the question
and the comments, so, Service Oklahoma, we are clearly in our
infancy as we have been offering services to the citizens of
Oklahoma for a little less than a year now.
I think when we view a specific population group like
veterans, for example, I think we look at it from two different
components. I think No. 1, we look at it from the individual
products or services we provide, and how can we make sure that
those are accessible and meeting the needs of that population.
Just to give an example, we inherited a online renewal for
a driver's license, and as we decided to work through
redesigning that product, we found a couple of things. Number
one, we wanted to make sure that we made it more accessible and
simplified for all citizens, so we decrease the number of steps
from 31 to 14.
I think the second thing that was really important to us is
the previous process, if you were 100 percent disabled veteran
in the State of Oklahoma, you actually received your driver's
license free of charge, no charge to that citizen.
Our online product actually didn't have a spot for you to
check a box or to be eligible--to show that you are eligible to
get that transaction for free, so, we were requiring those
veterans to actually pay for the transaction, pay for the
driver's license, and then they had to depend on our finance
group to go through the process to go back and refund that
dollars to them whenever they actually felt like they could get
to it, so, obviously----
Senator Rick Scott. This was rebates--they were going to
send to you, right?
Mr. Doyle. Exactly. One of those mail in rebates----
Senator Rick Scott. That you never get.
Mr. Doyle. Exactly, so, we really wanted to be sure that we
added that eligibility so that they could have that digital
product at the service level that was promised to them of
actually getting that free of charge.
We have made that improvement as we redesign the product,
and so that is an example at the individual product level. I
think from a population as a whole perspective, in the State of
Oklahoma, there is a variety of different organizations that
offer benefits or services to veterans specifically, and
obviously other user groups.
In our mid to long term plans, what we really want to do is
centralize those locations of those services so that a veteran
doesn't have to sit there and try to guess which agency
provides which benefits or which services, and also have an
idea of what services are actually available to them.
We want to put that in a centralized location, really
design it around what their tendencies would be as an actual
user or as a customer, and also based on their actual persona,
so, what actually might be eligible to 100 percent disabled
veteran as an example?
Really we want to be sure that we are trying to alleviate
those frustrations, increase that experience, but also make it
a lot more accessible to those veterans, and all citizens in
Oklahoma, so they have an idea of what services are available
and how to actually achieve those services.
Senator Rick Scott. Okay. Anybody else? Ms. Othman, would
you like to say thing?
Ms. Othman. Thank you, Senator, for the question. You know,
I can speak about individuals who are--veterans who are blind,
and in terms of the, you know, many of them have lost their
sight in service to our country.
When they come back, though, there is such a digital divide
because they have--prior to losing their vision, they had
relied on it, and if they did have access to technology or they
used technology, it was very visual.
First and foremost, I think one recommendation for
government is to meet individuals where they are and provide a
multifaceted approach. We certainly do not support the
elimination of paper-based applications or the elimination of
in-person submission because some people are always going to
need that.
The technology, you know, you don't wake up at a military,
VA hospital and all of a sudden you are capable of whatever
your limitation is, just jumping right past it to be able to do
TikTok and all of the other things that people have done, and
so, we need to make sure that the applications and access
systems are multifaceted.
There are, though, some advancements with technology that
we also, I believe, need to focus on. There are things like,
you know, think of your smart speaker. There are lots of things
that you can do with it now by voice command that you couldn't
before and that veterans could benefit from those sorts of
things.
Automated phone services. I think, you know, most
importantly, it is to have multiple avenues of accessing our
government products and services because each individual has a
disability that is going to differ from the person next to
them, and so we want to make sure that we are not going 100
percent digital and eliminating the manual process that some
individuals need, or going 100 percent manual where there is so
many other people with disabilities who cannot access and lose
access to systems and services.
Senator Rick Scott. Thank you. I just, I want--I know my
time is up. I just want to thank the chair for hosting this,
and I want to thank him for the quality of the individuals that
he has brought here to give us information.
The Chairman. Senator Scott, thanks very much for your
questions, and thanks for working with me on the Veterans
Accessibility Act, and for being here today. Before introducing
my colleague from Pennsylvania, I wanted to note for the record
something I mentioned in my opening, but I didn't list the co-
sponsors.
There is another bill, the Federal Agency Accessibility
Compliance Act, and that is co-sponsored--I am a sponsor with
the following co-sponsors, Senators Fetterman, Blumenthal,
Gillibrand, Duckworth, and Sanders, so, I will now turn next to
Senator Fetterman.
Senator Fetterman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and it is an
honor to have you as my mentor, and to welcome--thank you, all
of you here, and thank you for coming, and for me, it has been
a very personal issue with me, and I am going to show this, and
then I am going to describe this to others.
This is my iPhone, and this is a transcription service that
allows me to fully participate in this meeting, and
conversations with my children, and interacting with my staff.
I had a stroke about 18 months ago, you know, and I have lost
my ability to fully process language, and I like to think I was
an empathetic person, truly, but until that happened, it--I
have raised to a whole different kind of level as well, and it
is profound to know, though, that I never really considered
that without this kind of technology, I couldn't watch
television, and I can't imagine if I didn't have this kind of a
bridge to allow me to communicate with--with other people
effectively, and, you know, because I live in a political
environment, I was ridiculed and made fun of because I wasn't
able to process things sometimes or say things--things, so. I
am so sorry that I am sure many of you had to go through this
kind of thing. You know, I was lucky that I was--I was lucky
enough to go through my life, the vast majority of that,
without this kind of disability that I have.
Again, I can't imagine, and how the challenges, and I
admire, you know, everyone that has to kind of live with these
kinds of struggles and prevail over them, and the questions
that I have is really more of an open ended kind of question to
everyone on the panel, you know.
You know, how can we become more empathetic, more
responsive, and more effective Senators to provide the kind of
support and services that you, anyone in these communities,
deserve to be a citizen here in our nation? Mr. Westbrook.
Mr. Westbrook. Yes. I think it just takes political will
and, you know, the will to become accessible--making it a
priority, and just, you know, deciding that it is going to be a
priority, like Ronza was saying earlier, and on the same level
of security and privacy and all that kind of stuff.
Accessibility just needs to be another part of doing
business, as I mentioned in my testimony this morning. You
know, we wouldn't think about building a building without
putting in a ramp, you know, to get into the building now, but
now, we need to think about building websites and digital
technologies to make them more accessible.
Senator Fetterman. Thank you.
Ms. Othman. May I? Thank you for the wonderful question,
Senator. First of all, I would say hire a person with a
disability on your staff. Bring somebody in who is going to
interact with you, because as they spend time--not you,
personally, you, so thank you very much for your vulnerability
and authenticity there.
In general, to the Members of Congress and lawmaking bodies
across the country, hire people with disabilities so that they
can share their lived experience and so you can observe the
challenges and struggles that they are experiencing.
If, for example, they have a deliverable that they are
responsible for bringing to you, and the reason why they are
not able to complete that deliverable is because there was some
technology upgrade, or a patch, or a security update that broke
the accessibility of the whatever platform they were using, and
now they are struggling to provide it to you, there is nothing
wrong with how they--their ability to deliver on what you asked
them to do.
The obstacle is the technology broke or is broken, and so,
becoming more empathetic, I think, requires exposing yourself,
and yourselves as a body and individuals, to individuals who
are experiencing those challenges and then not looking away,
and then listening to the community tell you how to solve the
problem, listening to those individuals.
The census says that 25 percent of the United States
population has a disability. That number is growing. It is
continuing to grow, and so, think about that. If in your
family, there is four of you, one of you is likely to have a
disability right now, and probably close to two of you will in
the next 15 to 20 years, and so, you know, listen, observe, and
experience, and because we are humans, we are going to learn
from the people around us. We are going to watch it in the
interaction with people we love, or people we trust, or people
we respect, and that is going to make a tremendous difference.
Senator Fetterman. Mr. Chairman, may I request an
additional--please, Mr. Doyle, please continue.
Mr. Doyle. Senator, thank you for the question. In an
effort not to repeat some of what my peers at the table have
said, I think--for us, I think it is, especially when it comes
to technology, is technology is always evolving, and so, I
think whatever solutions we have in place today or whatever we
are talking about today is going to be very different several
years from now.
I think having an approach of continuing getting feedback,
continually listening to those with disabilities, and how can
we make sure that we are offering accessibility of all services
as technology continues to evolve, I think is key.
I think we take that approach every single day, is that our
products today are going to be very different than our products
12 months from now, 18 months from now, etcetera, and so, I
think having that mindset that whatever we are talking about
today needs to have that continued dialog and have that can be
an ongoing conversation, because it is especially with
technology, this is going to be--look very, very different in
the years to come.
Ms. Lichtle. Thank you, Senator, for your statement and
your question. I 100 percent agree with Ronza. It is very
important that we listen to and engage with people with
disabilities. As one of my close friends and proud self-
advocate says, when you meet one person with a disability, you
have met one person with a disability.
Engaging a wide array of people with disabilities, and
people with the same disability, they are all going to have
various lived experiences that can inform and shape how we
create policy and accessible technologies, and that is very
important for us moving forward. Thank you.
Senator Fetterman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Fetterman, and I want to
commend Senator Fetterman's statement about his own personal
experience, just like I commend and salute the personal
testimony of our witnesses.
Nothing, nothing, is more powerful than personal testimony
when it comes to matching someone's lived experience with
public policy changes that we seek to enact into law, and
sometimes that--most of the time that comes from witnesses, but
sometimes it comes from a courageous Senator who is willing to
talk about the challenges he faces and what he is doing every
day, so we are grateful for his personal witness here today.
We obviously have more questions but because of our
interlude, as grave as that moment was to be with President
Zelensky, I know that it didn't allow us to have more
questions, but we can follow-up with our witnesses to get more
information, but each of you have helped us in this hearing
today when we learned so much about the importance of
accessible technology for people with disabilities as they seek
to access government services and information.
This is a very timely issue. Every level of government now
uses technology, as I made reference to earlier, the front door
for programs and benefits. Accessible government websites,
apps, and other technology are critical for people with
disabilities who need access, access, to veterans benefits, or
to read a bus schedule, or simply to pay their taxes.
America's population is aging rapidly, and older adults are
more likely to have a disability. When Federal, state, and
local technology is not accessible, that digital front door is
locked. The testimony of today's witnesses highlighted the
importance of government efforts to ensure that accessibility.
Mr. Westbrook highlighted the personal impact of an
inaccessible government website. Ms. Othman discussed examples
of inaccessible technology at every level of government. Mr.
Doyle discussed his State's innovations in accessible
government technology.
Ms. Lichtle discussed her city's efforts to make their
technology accessible. Through the efforts of the Biden
Administration and the bills that I and my colleagues--I made
reference to earlier, Senator Scott, Senator Fetterman, and
others who have co-sponsored these bills, all of these
proposals will help us make all levels of government technology
accessible to people with disabilities.
I also ask unanimous consent to enter a document into the
record, the VA's most recent web accessibility report from
August of this year, August 2023. This report details steps the
VA has taken to improve accessibility of its technology in
response to bipartisan congressional oversight, so, we will add
that document to the hearing record.
The Chairman. I want to make reference to additional
questions for Senators. If any Senator has additional questions
for the witnesses or statements to be added, the hearing record
will be kept open for seven days until next Thursday, September
the 28th.
Again, I want to thank our witnesses again and those who
are appearing today in the hearing room behind our witnesses,
for your time today as well, so, thanks for participating, and
this concludes today's hearing.
[Whereupon, at 11:40 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
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APPENDIX
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Prepared Witness Statements
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Questions for the Record
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Statements for the Record
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