As more of daily life moves online, ensuring access to websites is more important, heard an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation webinar on federal website accessibility. Go beyond Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities, said Andrew Kirkpatrick, Adobe director-accessibility. “Get rid of legacy content and legacy systems not supporting accessibility.” Ensure content is available on modern devices and works well with all browsers, he said Thursday. Put away the mouse, “making sure you can activate all the content” via the keyboard, said Kirkpatrick. American Foundation for the Blind Chief Public Policy and Research Officer Stephanie Enyart stressed user testing as a “key component” in understanding how people “are really using the software.” Something technically accessible “might not be so user friendly.” She recommended federal agencies share best practices. Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., who co-chairs the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus and is a wheelchair user, said “government has to step up its game to be a model.” Noting Section 508 applies only to the executive branch, he said he asked the House chief administrative officer to prioritize site accessibility for congressional offices. “Efforts are underway,” Langevin said. He's seeking increased funding for the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services and the House modernization initiative. ITIF issued a report last month on federal agency accessibility (see 2106030036). Our report on association websites found they mostly scored relatively high on accessibility.

As more of daily life moves online, ensuring access to websites is more important, heard an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation webinar on federal website accessibility. Go beyond Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities, said Andrew Kirkpatrick, Adobe director-accessibility. “Get rid of legacy content and legacy systems not supporting accessibility.” Ensure content is available on modern devices and works well with all browsers, he said Thursday. Put away the mouse, “making sure you can activate all the content” via the keyboard, said Kirkpatrick. American Foundation for the Blind Chief Public Policy and Research Officer Stephanie Enyart stressed user testing as a “key component” in understanding how people “are really using the software.” Something technically accessible “might not be so user friendly.” She recommended federal agencies share best practices. Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., who co-chairs the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus and is a wheelchair user, said “government has to step up its game to be a model.” Noting Section 508 applies only to the executive branch, he said he asked the House chief administrative officer to prioritize site accessibility for congressional offices. “Efforts are underway,” Langevin said. He's seeking increased funding for the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services and the House modernization initiative. ITIF issued a report last month on federal agency accessibility (see 2106030036). Our report on association websites found they mostly scored relatively high on accessibility.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for July 6-9 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

The U.S. government needs better data collection on trade, industries and technologies if it wants to develop more effective policies to spur competitiveness and a national technology strategy, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said in a July 1 report. ITIF said the government has “never felt the need” to gather “strategic economic intelligence” to evaluate its trade competitiveness, which should be a key aspect of any technology strategy. The foundation specifically said the U.S. needs more accurate trade data, especially on exports, which are “too often” listed “by the port of exit rather than the location of the firm doing the exporting.” That data should include information on more than just “final goods exports,” such as the inputs that are “feeding into the exports” and where those goods are produced. This would allow the U.S. to better map supply chains that “feed into exports.”

Grubhub hires Ashley De Smeth from Uber's Postmates as director-federal affairs and Becca Martin from Cargill as senior director-government affairs, leading state and local government relations ... Ex-DGN Enterprises founder Frank Gerratana from Fish & Richardson joins Mintz Intellectual Property Practice as member and has worked on issues including cryptocurrency and blockchain, social media and internet applications, and autonomous vehicles ... Ex-Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist , who worked on AI and cybersecurity, joins Covington’s Aerospace, Defense and National Security industry group as senior adviser.

Grubhub hires Ashley De Smeth from Uber's Postmates as director-federal affairs and Becca Martin from Cargill as senior director-government affairs, leading state and local government relations ... Ex-DGN Enterprises founder Frank Gerratana from Fish & Richardson joins Mintz Intellectual Property Practice as member and has worked on issues including cryptocurrency and blockchain, social media and internet applications, and autonomous vehicles ... Ex-Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist , who worked on AI and cybersecurity, joins Covington’s Aerospace, Defense and National Security industry group as senior adviser.

Kaleidescape hires ex-20th Century Fox executive Heather Olson Grundeman as vice president-customer engagement ... Connected TV buying and attribution platform tvScientific adds Tapjoy’s Shannon Jessup as chief revenue officer ... YL Ventures taps Ryan Gurney from Google-owned Looker as chief information security officer-in-residence ... ForgeRock hires Apple’s David Burden as the chief information officer ... Krell names Aldo Filippelli sales rep for the Americas ... Grubhub hires Ashley De Smeth from Uber's Postmates as director-federal affairs and Becca Martin from Cargill as senior director-government affairs, leading state and local government relations ... Information Technology and Innovation Foundation starts Schumpeter Project on Competition Policy, led by Aurelien Portuese, ITIF director-antitrust and innovation policy.

The U.S. and EU should stop squabbling over tech issues or risk having China or another authoritarian government step into the gap, speakers told an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation webinar. High on President Joe Biden's agenda for the summit in Brussels next week is discussion of the relationship, including whether the EU should stop attacking America's tech sector and Biden should refrain from giving away too much to make amends to Europe for the previous administration's attitude, said ITI President Robert Atkinson Tuesday. He accused Europe of deploying a range of tools to hobble U.S. tech giants, such as the Digital Services Act and limits on cross-border data flows, and urged Biden to aggressively defend America while seeking stronger trans-Atlantic ties.

Fifty of 72 federal websites checked passed an accessibility test for their homepages, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation reported Thursday. But nearly half “failed the test on at least one of their three most popular pages,” ITIF said. “This creates obstacles for millions of Americans, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has moved many government services online.” Recommendations include that the General Services Administration create a federal accessibility testing lab and add to its Digital Analytics Program “real-time accessibility testing.” The report didn't include independent agencies such as the FCC and FTC, “since they are not necessarily obligated to follow OMB requirements or guidance,” ITIF co-author Daniel Castro emailed.

Fifty of 72 federal websites checked passed an accessibility test for their homepages, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation reported Thursday. But nearly half “failed the test on at least one of their three most popular pages,” ITIF said. “This creates obstacles for millions of Americans, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has moved many government services online.” Recommendations include that the General Services Administration create a federal accessibility testing lab and add to its Digital Analytics Program “real-time accessibility testing.” The report didn't include independent agencies such as the FCC and FTC, “since they are not necessarily obligated to follow OMB requirements or guidance,” ITIF co-author Daniel Castro emailed.