Accessibility

In a pivotal year, governments enacted AI laws, strengthened defenses, bridged the broadband gap, and prioritized accessible, user-friendly digital services. As 2025 nears, most jurisdictions still lack fully mature AI frameworks.

Artificial intelligence may have been the topic on many minds this year, but cybersecurity and risk management topped NASCIO’s annual list of the top 10 priorities for state CIOs. AI did, however, rise to second place this year.

Many organizations have incorporated technology into their hiring processes. The Center for Democracy and Technology studied how one hiring technology — digitized assessments — impacts job seekers with disabilities.

The biggest news in artificial intelligence, accessibility, cybersecurity, ed tech, government experience and public safety. Our annual review of the top headlines from 2024 also looks at what’s in store for state and local IT next year.

While the work to introduce computer science concepts early in education is growing, accessible design should be a core component of the subject as students learn about web and mobile app development.

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency is spearheading work to improve the accessibility and usability of state sites. It is providing oversight, tools and resources to other agencies to update their online presence.

A new language translation solution in Athens-Clarke County, Ga., aims to expand voter access and turnout by residents with limited English proficiency. Ensuring everyone can participate is vital, the county elections director said.

Academic publisher Wiley has partnered with ed-tech company Alchemie to reduce barriers for blind and low-vision students to the field of chemistry, which relies heavily on visual representations of matter.

The Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles is deploying kiosks this fall as part of a pilot program to help residents access services like driver’s license renewals more efficiently. Average transaction times are estimated at roughly two minutes.

In a move to enhance cybersecurity and digital services statewide, the Indiana Office of Technology is offering no-cost websites to all local governments, using its purchasing power with Tyler Technologies.

Elizabeth Barker, an accessibility manager at Khan Academy, shares her insights on how ed-tech developers can make their tools user-friendly for everyone, including the need for field testing, observation and feedback.

With AI-powered recruitment tools increasingly used in hiring, the U.S. Department of Labor has announced the release of its own AI and Inclusive Hiring Framework to support inclusive hiring practices.

After initially saying the state's guidance for school cellphone policies gives “short shrift” to students with disabilities, advocates then read the actual policy and said it goes a long way toward addressing their concerns.

Hong Hua, an optics professor at the University of Arizona, was among scientists awarded by the Bayh-Dole Coalition for sight-enhancing eyewear that magnifies and projects images onto screens in front of each eye.

The Consortium for School Networking and the nonprofit CAST this week released a report on practical steps schools and tech developers can take to ensure new AI tools are accessible to all students.

A new report from the Center for Democracy and Technology examines ways in which AI-powered chatbots may negatively impact voter confidence this election season, for people with disabilities.

Plus, New Mexico has awarded $40 million in grants for broadband, libraries in a North Carolina county are expanding access to Internet-enabled devices and assistive technology, and more.

Visitors to Virginia’s Natural Bridge State Park who are blind or visually impaired can now use RightHear technology to navigate the park’s natural wonders. Travelers can use it, too, to translate information in 26 languages.