Access Board News

At its July meeting, the U.S. Access Board elected Katy Kale as its new Chair and Elver Ariza-Silva as its new Vice-Chair. Kale is the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) under the Biden-Harris Administration. Ariza-Silva is a disability community advocate based out of the District of Columbia. The Board approved both choices unanimously . . .

As part of the Developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Equity, Access & Inclusion for All Series, the Access Board is holding public hearings with members of the disability community, Federal Agency AI leaders, and AI practitioners. This series stems from the Board’s Memorandum of Understanding with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) . . .

On July 3, the General Services Administration (GSA) issued a final rule adopting the Access Board’s Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) as part of the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards (ABAAS). The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) is a civil rights law that requires federally constructed or leased facilities, and certain facilities constructed or leased with federal funds, to be accessible . . .

With great sadness, the U.S. Access Board mourns the passing of former Board Member and longtime disability advocate, Jan Tuck. Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002, Tuck served as Chair of the Board twice during her term. Her remarkable legacy of disability advocacy was evident in her service on the Passenger Vessels Access Advisory Committee, where she . . .

All are welcome to attend the public session of the next meeting of the U.S. Access Board, which will be open to the public and take place on July 24 from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. (ET). The agenda for the session includes election of officers, brief reports from standing Board committees and the Executive Director, federal agency updates, and a presentation by nine-time Paralympian Candace Cable . . .

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can increase accessibility, but without appropriate efforts, it can also create barriers for people with disabilities. To address equity and accessibility, the Access Board was tasked with several actions in the Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. The Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in May of 2024 . . .

The U.S. Access Board seeks a Supervisory IT Program Manager GS-2210-15. A successful candidate will oversee and coordinate the Access Board's Information Technology (IT) program, policies, and projects. They will be responsible for policy, planning, development, implementation, and monitoring of all IT management, strategic plans, policy, and budget activities . . .

Today, May 16, 2024, the U.S. Access Board celebrates the 13th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a day dedicated to conversations and learning about digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities.  Sachin Pavithran, Executive Director of the Board, joined fellow disability and government leaders at the White House today to celebrate GAAD . . .

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can increase accessibility, but it can also create barriers for people with disabilities. To address equity and accessibility, the Access Board was tasked with several actions in the Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. The U.S. Access Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) . . .

Each year, the U.S. Access Board visits a city outside of Washington, D.C. to learn about the state of accessibility around the country. During the week of April 15th, the Access Board traveled to Los Angeles, where Members learned about the state of accessibility in the film and television industries, among other topics. The Board spent an entire day in meetings with representatives of the entertainment industry to understand . . .