White House Urges Agencies to Make Digital Services More Accessible

The White House is channeling its resources toward strengthening accessibility features on government websites.

In a webinar on Tuesday, Jonathan Finch, acting director for digital experience at the White House, said the General Services Administration’s Technology Modernization Fund has been seeing requests related to enhancing accessibility features after the Office of Management and Budget released the OMB M-23-22 guidance in September 2023 and the December 2023 digital accessibility memo.

OMB issued the September 2023 guidance to lay down common standards to be observed by federal agencies in delivering online tools and digital services. The initiative is part of the 21st Century IDEA, an effort to improve the digital experience when using federal public websites, making them more accessible to all users, FedScoop reported.

The federal government has been working to comply with the goals of the 21st Century IDEA. However, it has been facing roadblocks along the way. In November 2023, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., announced his plan to invite officials involved in modernizing the government’s digital services to Congress to provide an update on the efforts. His decision came after a FedScoop report found failure in prioritizing the project despite it being a priority for the Biden administration.