Michael A. Petrovsky’s Post

From David Allen Larson for New York State Bar Association- “Dispute resolution professionals have increasingly relied on technology to promote and provide services in recent years. COVID-19 accelerated the adoption and reliance on communication technologies like Zoom and Teams, which have been professional lifesavers for many. Although everyone experienced a learning curve, some dispute resolution providers and participants—and especially some persons with disabilities (PWDs)—found the transition more difficult, and sometimes impossible. This brief discussion will explain the need to make our online services accessible to PWDs, identify obstacles commonly encountered by PWDs, and suggest ways to overcome these obstacles. Although much of the following article will focus on website design, please keep in mind that all digital interactions must be accessible including, for example, e-mail messages.” #AccessibilityInTheNews https://lnkd.in/gEEtSwSC

So exciting to learn about and share the State of Maryland's launch of their Accessibility Officer Initiative. It's an effort to train state agency executives about the latest trends about accessible design and how they can gradually lead its implementation at their agency. And as Maryland's “accessibility officers” strive to better meet the needs of people who are blind or deaf, or have cognitive or other disabilities, Access Sciences is also pressing the gas to take Electronic Document Management System (#EDMS) efficiency to the next level by not only making public information digital, findable, usable, valuable… but accessible for all.  For over 2 decades, it's been our mission to " tame information chaos" by helping state agencies engage their constituents in a self-service manner for Public Information Requests (#PIRs). Housing millions of public records, our custom-built EDMS platform equips leaders with actionable insights to drive policy and operational enhancements. https://lnkd.in/d3Ec22kD #DigitalEquity #StateGovernmentMaryland #Accessibility

Budgeting for accessibility. A huge misconception is that accessibility is expensive. Nope, it never is. Organizations always forget to add accessibility into their strategic plan with a line item of access. Plan ahead, and start from the beginning. You wont be flustered on trying to find a last minute accessibility service to provide for your customers. Puneet Singh Singhal says it best here: https://lnkd.in/eC6qTvbx

Baking accessibility in from the start isn't expensive. Leaving it until later is costly - just look at all the older subway stations and other buildings that are now trying to put in elevators and other accessibility features. #Accessibility #SoftwareEngineering #WheelchairUser #A11y

Digital accessibility should be a critical component of every government organization's mission. However, it is important to remember to incorporate physical accessibility, as well. Over a quarter of Americans experience some form of disability and require equal access to basic services. Learn more about providing equal access at the link below https://lnkd.in/eVsUiQXY

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination based on disability in the federal landscape, and includes equal accessibility to electronic information. Although the details are slightly more prescriptive, the goal of Section 508 is to make sure the same information is available to everyone. In this week's Throwback Thursday blog, Senior Consultant Lisa Prather discusses three key considerations for organizations to increase everyone's awareness of accessibility needs and create a plan to empower 508 compliance personnel. #DEIA #LearningandDevelopment #Accessibility #Technology #AccessibleTechnology #508Compliance

Digital accessibility should be a critical component of every government organization's mission. However, it is important to remember to incorporate physical accessibility, as well. Over a quarter of Americans experience some form of disability and require equal access to basic services. Learn more about providing equal access at the link below https://lnkd.in/eG6BAwQf

Consider this... "You’re visually impaired and trying to file your taxes, using a screen reader to do so via your state’s website. But when you need to read a PDF form, suddenly it stops working." The Department of Justice's accessibility requirement was announced a month ago, but the deadline is looming. Yes, all state and local governments must make their digital services accessible for people with disabilities, and it can be daunting to know where to start. 🗓 When: State and local governments serving fewer than 49,999 people have three years, while any governments larger than that have two. ❓What: This will be a historic transformation for government websites, one with the potential to make it easier for all constituents to do business with the public sector online. 📈 How: It is a mountain that can be climbed with a plan, which should start with understanding all of your digital properties. Then, you can identify an accessibility team for an audit - note, when done right, this always takes much longer than most people anticipate. If you have questions, don't delay ✋ ask accessibility experts. https://lnkd.in/gv9ERES4 Accenture #PublicService #accessibility U.S. Department of Justice #ResidentExperience #HumanCenteredDesign

Are state and local governments ready for the new DOJ accessibility rules? Dive into our latest blog post from Mark Headd and Brian DeConinck about the challenges we’ve seen when creating truly accessible products and tips for state and local governments looking to advance their accessibility practices. https://lnkd.in/dBxnr3fH #accessibility

Senate Democrats Propose Update to Accessibility Standards for Federal Websites Senate Democrats have introduced the Section 508 Refresh Act to update accessibility standards for federal websites and technologies. This bill aims to address persistent non-compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires federal digital resources to be accessible to people with disabilities. Despite being enacted in 1998, many federal sites still fall short of meeting these standards. For more details, read the full article on Nextgov/FCW: https://lnkd.in/gQYNi3yb #DigitalInclusion #Section508