More agencies turn to AI to fix website accessibility issues

Federal agencies are looking at artificial intelligence tools to flag content on their websites that aren’t meeting government accessibility standards.

Betsy Sirk, the director of digital accessibility and strategic sourcing at NASA, said 30-50% of accessibility standards violations are flagged by the agency’s web accessibility tools, and that emerging tools could help identify more of these problems and address them more quickly.

“We have web accessibility checkers. If AI can improve that even 10%, just think about that impact,” Sirk said on July 16 at AGA’s (formerly the Association of Government Accountants) Professional Development Training event in Denver, Colorado.

Joe Carter, director of customer experience at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said AI may “significantly enhance digital accessibility and inclusivity.”

“AI can create more intuitive and adaptive user interfaces to respond to individual user needs. For example, voice-activated assistance and speech recognition software can help people navigate digital environments more easily,” Carter said.

Carter said HUD is working to improve the user experience on HUD.gov by designing more accessible forms, and offering speech-to text-options, AI chatbots and other tools.

“What this means in practice is co-designing improvements for hud.gov with our customers, including those with disabilities, by bringing them into the design process upfront, as opposed to after the fact,” he said.

A growing number of agencies are looking to see what AI can do to improve their websites.

The General Services Administration hosted an “AI hackathon” last week, and invited developers to create AI-powered chatbots and improve user experience for websites across five federal agencies.

“This hackathon is more than just a competition. It’s an opportunity to shape the future of digital government services,” GSA’s Chief AI Officer Zach Whitman said during the event. “The proliferation of AI presents an opportunity to improve access to federal information and services.”

The Office of Management and Budget issued a governmentwide memo last December to improve digital accessibility across government websites and improve compliance with Section 508 standards.

About 25% of U.S. adults — or 61 million people — live with a disability. And 17% of the federal workforce reported having a disability in 2022.

More than half of all government websites have at least one accessibility issue, according to data collected by OMB and GSA.

Carter said customer experience and digital accessibility “go hand-in-hand, and play a crucial role in efficient in enabling HUD to efficiently and effectively achieve that mission.”

“Housing is a basic human right. However, accessing this right can be a significant challenge for many, particularly those facing physical and digital barriers at HUD, we recognize that our digital platforms must be accessible to everyone. This means ensuring that our websites, mobile applications and online services are designed with inclusivity in mind.”

Beyond her role at NASA, Sirk also serves on the CIO Council’s Accessibility Community of Practice and leads its industry outreach program.

“While the law drives the federal government to buy the most accessible technology that meets its needs, industry doesn’t have to play there. But guess what? We buy the majority of products — commercial, off-the-shelf, products — from industry, so we’re not starting from scratch,” she said.

Sirk also leads an initiative under the Office of Management and Budget to refresh the minimum technical specs for end-user computers — such as desktops, laptops and notebooks. This refresh, she added, includes prescreening for compliance with 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act.

“It’s about enabling your workforce the opportunities that you’re missing. Because we hear a lot of people talk about diversity and inclusion, you can’t have that until you have accessibility,” Sirk said.

NASA is focused on accessibility not just for its employees, but also for members of the public who rely on its vast stores of open data — and collaborate on crowdsourced projects.

“Science isn’t any good if it can’t be shared, if it can’t spark the innovations with everybody else, very tightly connected,” Sirk said.

Dominique Wheeler, an IT accessibility specialist at the Department of Homeland Security, said the department vets the accessibility of its technology through its DHS Trusted Tester process, a standardized testing approach for accessibility compliance.

“We want to implement section 508 requirements through change, and that’s shifting our culture, not just integrating accessibility as a means of providing assistance to the disabled, but making sure that it’s access and having equal access at that to everyone. It’s policy-driven. Everything we do at DHS is based on standards and policy. It’s also about standardization of inclusion,” Wheeler said.

Carter said enhancing digital accessibility can also lead to unexpected benefits for a broad range of users.

Carter cited a study from YPulse, a market research firm that specializes in Gen Z and Millennials, that a vast majority of Gen Z respondents and more than half of Millennials preferred closed-captioning for videos.

“Ultimately, accessible digital services are easier to use for everyone. This can lead to improved efficiency and service delivery and reduce the need for assisted support,” he said. “It’s not about complying with regulations. It’s about enhancing public trust by making sure that everyone can access the vital services you offer without barriers.”

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