WASHINGTON — Today, July 28, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Ranking Member Tim Scott, R-S.C, will hold a hearing entitled, “Click Here: Accessible Federal Technology for People with Disabilities, Older Americans, and Veterans.” During the hearing, Senators Casey and Scott will examine the challenges faced by seniors and people with disabilities when accessing online resources from the federal government.
In the United States, 26 percent of Americans live with a disability. As websites and apps become increasingly important resources for information on healthcare, employment and government services, many Americans with disabilities face barriers to access. Sens. Casey and Scott have led recent efforts to improve the accessibility of government websites following a September 2021 report from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that found only 10 percent of VA’s websites are accessible for people with disabilities, including blind, deaf and paralyzed veterans. Further, Sens. Casey and Scott recently led bipartisan Committee leaders in pressing on the Department of Justice to release a long overdue analysis on the accessibility of information technology across the federal government. People with hearing, vision, mobility, speech and cognitive disabilities use the internet differently, and when websites and technologies are not accessible, it keeps valuable resources out of reach for those they are intended to help.
Watch the live broadcast online at: www.aging.senate.gov/hearings/click-here-accessible-federal-technology-for-people-with-disabilities-older-americans-and-veterans
Witnesses for the hearing will include:
Jule Ann Lieberman, Assistive Technology Program Coordinator, TechOWL, Institute on Disability, Temple University, Devon, Pa.
Eve Hill, Attorney and Partner, Brown Goldstein & Levy, LLP, Washington, D.C.
Anil Lewis, Executive Director for Blindness Initiatives for the National Federation of the Blind, Atlanta, Ga.
Ronald G. Holmquest, Retired and U.S. Navy Veteran, Mount Pleasant, SC
