GSA's Government-wide IT Accessibility Division - Yearly Activities Update Experts from the General Services Administration (GSA) will provide an update on current and upcoming government-wide accessibility efforts. The session will highlight key activities, achievements, milestones, and progress in assessing conformance across agencies, with a specific focus on GSA's planned initiatives for FY25 and FY26.

Leveraging Project Management to Streamline the Section 508 Annual Assessment as a Project Every year, federal agencies must complete and submit a mandatory Section 508 annual assessment, to provide a snapshot of their 508 compliance efforts. However, this submission is often a complex, time-consuming process requiring coordination across multiple departments, adherence to tight deadlines, and management of large volumes of data. Agencies frequently struggle with unclear roles, inconsistent data collection, and last-minute efforts that result in rushed or incomplete responses.

This session will demonstrate how federal agencies can apply formal project management methodologies to streamline the assessment and submission process. By treating the assessment and submission as a project rather than an ad hoc task, agencies can improve efficiency, ensure data accuracy, and timely reporting.

Project Managing Accessibility Compliance - A Fictionalized Agency Case Study Every federal agency is required to submit a Section 508 annual assessment, yet many find themselves struggling to coordinate this effort effectively. Inconsistent workflows, siloed data, and competing priorities often lead to inefficient, last-minute submissions. How can agencies turn this annual challenge into a well-structured and repeatable process?

In this session, we will explore a fictionalized case study of "Agency X," a federal entity that initially faced numerous challenges in managing its Section 508 survey submission. The agency's approach was reactive, with different departments operating in silos, leading to delays, inaccurate data, and incomplete compliance reporting. Recognizing the need for a more structured approach, the agency implemented formal project management techniques to bring order and efficiency to the process.

Enhancing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities - Part 1 Major advances in technology, both in the workplace and in the home, have helped empower job seekers and workers with disabilities who strive for upward mobility in their fields in the modern knowledge economy. This applies equally for emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality, autonomous vehicles, and mainstream information and communication technologies, including those used in the workplace.

The panel session will be in panel format moderated by NSF. Two funded researchers through the NSF's Convergence Accelerator program focused on Enhancing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) will present their research projects (20 minutes each). These NSF-funded projects serve as a platform to bring together researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders from a wide range of disciplines and sectors to work on use-inspired solutions to enhance quality of life and employment access and opportunities for PWDs and are fueled by strong public-private partnerships.

Enhancing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities - Part 2 Major advances in technology, both in the workplace and in the home, have helped empower job seekers and workers with disabilities who strive for upward mobility in their fields in the modern knowledge economy. This applies equally for emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality, autonomous vehicles, and mainstream information and communication technologies, including those used in the workplace.

The panel session will be in panel format moderated by NSF. Two funded researchers through the NSF's Convergence Accelerator program focused on Enhancing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) will present their research projects (20 minutes each). These NSF-funded projects serve as a platform to bring together researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders from a wide range of disciplines and sectors to work on use-inspired solutions to enhance quality of life and employment access and opportunities for PWDs and are fueled by strong public-private partnerships.

Digital Accessibility Acquisition Solutions GSA will present on recent combined efforts of the Federal Acquisition Services team and GSA's Government-wide IT Accessibility Program to understand the current digital accessibility acquisition landscape and identify how to improve access to, gain efficiencies in, and increase awareness of digital accessibility tools and services.

The ultimate goal of this project was to help agencies acquire products and services related to the accessibility of ICT. To meet this goal, research was conducted to identify agency needs and gain an understanding of available solutions. Currently, the companies that provide such solutions are found in various technical categories and buckets, making it difficult to best solicit responses to proposals. In addition, the spend available to each agency varies significantly, but is typically a relatively small investment in comparison to other software or service acquisitions.

Providing agencies with the information to identify and acquire accessibility solutions is best done through GSA's existing Market Research as a Service (MRAS). This presentation will review MRAS resources and services and provide an understanding of how MRAS can help agencies identify and acquire accessibility-related products and services.

Differences in ICT Accessibility Regulations This session will explore the accessibility challenges and solutions for commonly used social media platforms within the federal government. Attendees will learn how to evaluate and ensure compliance with Section 508 standards across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The session will cover best practices for making content accessible to individuals with disabilities, including captioning, alt text for images, and user-friendly design, ensuring that federal digital communications are inclusive for all.

Accessible Self Service Kiosks This presentation will focus on Section 508 kiosk accessibility requirements and best practices using the recently updated and deployed Social Security Administration kiosk as a case study.

Making kiosks accessible is much more efficient when done throughout the procurement and design process, prior to manufacturing and deployment. Considerations in procurement, testing, and kiosk design will be discussed, along with discussion of the SSA test method and the joint USAB/GSA in-progress Hardware Baseline project.

Included in this presentation will be tips for writing an accessible kiosk RFP, testing methodology, and frequently asked questions.

From Risk to Roadmap: Tackling Accessibility Debt with the Technology Accessibility Playbook Accessibility debt—accumulated barriers in digital systems, documents, and services—continues to challenge many federal IT organizations. These unresolved issues not only hinder users with disabilities but also expose agencies to non-compliance with Section 508, WCAG, and FAR requirements, as well as legal and reputational risks. Too often, agencies rely on temporary risk management strategies that fail to solve the core issues, allowing debt to grow over time.

In this dynamic panel discussion, Antonio Haileselassie and Lisa Wilcox, seasoned Section 508 Program Managers, will explore how they've confronted accessibility debt head-on using the Technology Accessibility Playbook. They will share real-world insights, challenges, and successes from their agencies, providing a roadmap for attendees who face similar obstacles.

Panelists will discuss:

• Leveraging structured frameworks to identify and address organizational gaps and systemic challenges
• Developing phased action plans to drive long-term, measurable improvements
• Integrating inclusive practices into standard workflows to prevent recurring issues
• Establishing internal monitoring systems to ensure ongoing accountability and track progress
• Fostering collaboration across departments to align efforts and leadership support

Attendees will gain practical insights on moving from reactive problem-solving to proactive, sustainable management—along with tools to initiate or enhance their own strategic initiatives.

Navigating Federal Acquisitions: Buying Accessible Tech Federal acquisitions can be daunting. This session provides practical guidance to ensure digital accessibility throughout the acquisition lifecycle. Learn practices that mutually benefit Government and Industry when buying accessible technology.

A New Look at ART & SRT Discover the latest updates and enhancements to the Section508.gov tools—Accessibility Requirements Tool (ART) and Solicitation Review Tool (SRT). This session will provide an overview of how these powerful resources support federal procurement and IT teams in incorporating Section 508 requirements into acquisitions and ensuring accessibility compliance. Learn how recent improvements streamline the user experience, improve accuracy, and help agencies confidently meet their accessibility obligations. Whether you're new to these tools or looking for a refresher, this session will help you get the most out of ART and SRT.