July 24, 2024

Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Make Federal Technology More Accessible for People with Disabilities

Wyden’s new Section 508 Refresh Act would require federal agencies take several steps to ensure people with disabilities can use federal technology, including websites

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., alongside U.S. Senators Bob Casey, D-Pa., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., today introduced 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 found that department and agency technology, particularly within the Department of Veterans Affairs, is often out of compliance. These accessibility failures create barriers for people with disabilities who rely on federal technology for essential services, including health care, employment services, and Social Security benefits. The Section 508 Refresh Act would put in place a framework that will hold agencies accountable for accessibility requirements.

“Technology can’t serve as a tool to make life easier if people can’t access it in the first place,”  Wyden said. “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.” 

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 would enact long-overdue updates to the law. Specifically, the bill would:

  • Require federal departments and agencies to include people with disabilities who use 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 bought – 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 bought and used by their departments and agencies is accessible.

Wyden has led the charge to improve standards of living for people with disabilities. In June, the senator held a hearing to examine the challenges and opportunities provided by work and Social Security disability benefits. Wyden also urged the Department of Transportation in January to update an inaccessible form required for Americans with disabilities to fly with service animals. In June 2023, he introduced the Work Without Worry Act, which would allow Americans with disabilities to work to their full potential without causing them to lose out on higher Social Security benefits.

A one-page summary is here.