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BOSTON (State House News Service) - The Healey administration will create a new panel and a "chief IT accessibility officer" tasked with overseeing a government-wide transition toward better accessibility on the state's websites and digital applications.
On the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order Wednesday standing up a Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board that will work to make various state platforms across secretariats more accessible for Bay Staters with disabilities.
Many people with disabilities struggle to navigate existing websites that provide information "needed to participate in our society," even with assistive technologies, according to Perkins Library Executive Director Kim Charlson.
"The increasing digitization of our society has been inevitable because of technological change, and the expansion of online engagement was certainly accelerated by the pandemic," Charlson said at a State House event Healey hosted to unveil the executive order. "However, the social change for people with disabilities to be included in that technical change has not kept pace."
She added, "When technological access for people with disabilities is available, it can be a powerful tool to overcome isolation, encourage people to build meaningful relationships, empower engagement and allow for integrated participation as full members of their communities and beyond."
The executive order creates a board within the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security responsible for creating new standards, guidelines and policies to improve digital accessibility on state platforms.
Each secretary of a state executive office will serve on the board, as will the leaders of the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Commission for the Blind, the governor's deputy chief of staff for access and opportunity, and members of the public with relevant lived experience.
The board will be led by the chief IT accessibility officer, and Technology Services and Security Secretary Jason Snyder said applications for that job will open this week. Depending on how the hiring goes, the board could hold its first meeting by the end of August or beginning of September, Snyder said.
Citing a study from the Pew Research Center, Snyder said about 80 percent of people rely on digital methods for accessing government services. That makes it even more important to ensure state websites are simple, easy to use and accessible, he said.
"The prior experience interacting with Mass. digital services resulted in different outcomes based on the application or website they are visiting. We can do better," Snyder said. "Providing a consistent means of digital accessibility for all is an essential goal. When we build digital services for people with different needs, we build better for everyone."
Healey said it's not yet clear what salary the chief IT accessibility officer will receive and stressed she wants to move "as quickly as possible" to bring the person on board.
"You see the ball rolling today. We're up, we're posting, we're looking to hire," Healey said.
The governor called her executive order a "new step forward in equity for Massachusetts residents with disabilities."
"We know there is much work to do, but now we will have an infrastructure to help us do that work," Healey said.
Written By Chris Lisinski/SHNS
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