About IAAF 2020
The 2020 Interagency Accessibility Forum celebrated the 75th observance of the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). Inspirational keynote speakers included: the honorable Congressman Jim Langevin, Chair of the Bipartisan Disability Caucus; Thomas Harkin, former United States Senator and author and chief Senate sponsor of the ADA; Janet Dhillon, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and Paula Briscoe, Deputy Director, Intelligence Community Equal Employment and Diversity for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Virtual panel discussions focused on three areas: Customer Experiences & Content Creation, Acquisition & Program Management, and Innovation--in the federal government and internationally. In addition, the forum included a virtual Exhibitor Round-Robin where 24 accessibility consultants and/or IT companies with accessibility programs gave a five minute demonstration of their products and services that support those with disabilities.
The 2020 Interagency Accessibility Forum (IAAF) was sponsored by the Federal Chief Information Officer Council’s (Federal CIO Council) Accessibility Community of Practice (ACOP) and hosted by the Government-wide IT Accessibility Program from the Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP) of the General Services Administration (GSA) and the U.S. Census Bureau, in partnership with other federal agencies.
Who Attended?
- Acquisition professionals
- Accessibility program managers
- Content and web creators
- Human Resources personnel
- IT acquisitions requiring officials
- Web content managers
The 2020 IAAF was attended by accessibility professionals across 42 U.S. states and territories, and 8 countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa, and Sweden.
Event Agenda & Speaker and Presenter Biographies
The 2020 IAAF had a full, two-day agenda, with featured speakers, keynote addresses, and breakout sessions and discussions led by those on the forefront of accessibility in the federal, private, academic, and nonprofit sectors.
For details on the specific sessions from the two-day virtual event, visit the 2020 IAAF Agenda and Speaker and Presenter Biographies.
Join the IAAF 2021 Planning Committee
Planning for IAAF 2021 has already started. If your agency would like to be a co-sponsor, or if you would like to volunteer to be part of the planning committee, please contact us at Section.508@gsa.gov.
IAAF Archives
2020 Interagency Accessibility Forum
The seventh annual Interagency Accessibility Forum, October 6-7, 2020 was co-hosted by the General Services Administration (GSA) and the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2020 Interagency Accessibility Forum celebrated the 75th observance of the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).
The event, with a theme of “Enabling Missions Accessible Technology - Leaving No One Behind,” featured keynote addresses by four fabulous speakers, four panel discussions, and nine breakout sessions across a range of topics. Presentation files, videos and transcripts will be posted as they become available.
Keynote Speakers
- The Honorable Thomas Harkin, Former Senator and author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Janet Dhillon, Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- The Honorable Congressman Jim Langevin, U.S House of Representatives, Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District
- Paula Briscoe, PhD, Deputy Director, Intelligence Community Equal Employment and Diversity, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
General Sessions
- Information and Communication Technology Accessibility Throughout the Acquisition Lifecycle
- 10th Anniversary of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act | Presentation (PPT)
- Agency Showcase: Smithsonian Institution
Breakout Sessions
- Track A: Customer Experiences & Content Creation
- COVID-19 Creates the Case for 508 Compliance and Best Practices
- Embrace Accessibility and Build It Into Every Decision
- How Program/Project Managers Can Integrate Accessibility Testing into Development Operations
- Track B: Acquisition & Program Management
- Agencies Approaches to Accessibility throughout the Acquisition Lifecycle | Presentation (PPT)
- Welcome to Section 508 (for new members) | Presentation (PDF)
- Revised Section 508 and the Federal Acquisition Regulations - The Final Rule (FAR Case)
- Track C: Innovation
- Artificial Intelligence, the Emerging Workplace, and Accessibility for People with Disabilities | Presentation (PPT)
- Mobile Accessibility: Now and the Future | Presentation (PPT)
- Developing Accessibility Talent - A Snapshot of Accessibility Education in the United States
2019 Interagency Accessibility Forum
The sixth annual Interagency Accessibility Forum, October 7-8, 2019 was co-hosted by the General Services Administration (GSA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The IAAF proudly supported the 2019 NDEAM theme - The Right Talent, Right Now - by focusing on ensuring accessibility is a business imperative.
- Keynote: The Americans with Disabilities Act—Then and Now
Tony Coelho, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California’s 15th district (January 3, 1979 – June 15, 1989)
2018 Interagency Accessibility Forum
October 9, 2018 - 5th annual Interagency Accessibility Forum. The 2018 theme was Supporting Empowerment through Accessibility.
2017 Interagency Accessibility Forum
On October 13, 2017, General Services Administration (GSA) hosted the 4th annual Interagency Accessibility Forum. The event, with a theme of “The Right Talent, Right Now,” featured nine workshops focused on the transition to the Revised 508 Standards.
- Read the transcript of the Opening Plenary Session (DOC)
- Managing Accessibility of Public–Facing Content and Agency Official Communications Part 1 (PPT)
- Managing Accessibility of Public–Facing Content and Agency Official Communications Part 2 (PPT)
- Revised Section 508 Standards – Summary of Major Changes and Issues (PPT). Read the transcript
- How to Request Accessibility Information from Vendors About the Revised Standards (PPT). Read the transcript
- AED COP, How It Helps Government Agencies Consistently Test and Remediate Electronic Documents for Section 508 Conformance (PPT). Read the transcript
- Revising Agency 508 Policy for the Refresh and Managing for User Access (PPT). Read the transcript
- WCAG 2.0 – How Does it Change the Way Agencies Develop and Test? (PPT)
- Integrating Section 508 Requirements in the Development Lifecycle (PPT). Read the transcript
- GSA Section 508 Resources (PPT). Read the transcript
- Authors and Developers Guidance for the Revised 508 Standards (PPT)
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Reviewed/Updated: October 2020