Readout of OSTP Webinar on Advancing Digital Accessibility for Scientific and Technical Publications

Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has advanced a commitment to eliminate barriers to participation in science and technology. Key to these efforts is increasing public access to the products and processes of federally funded research in a way that ensures that everyone can participate in, contribute to, and benefit from science and technology. One in four adults in the United States lives with a disability, many of whom rely on accessible technologies. Improving the digital accessibility of scientific and technical (S&T) publications is critical to achieving equitable public access to federally funded research.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) held a webinar on improving the digital accessibility of S&T publications. Speakers from the Johns Hopkins University Disability Health Research Center and the American Association on Health and Disability spoke about disability inclusion and the importance of digital accessibility in advancing equitable opportunities for education, research, and innovation. Representatives from OSTP, the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Justice, and the National Library of Medicine shared their progress in promoting the digital accessibility of S&T publications for people with disabilities, as well as their vision for a more digitally accessible and inclusive research ecosystem. Invited stakeholders offered ideas for how we can all work together to accelerate progress in three priority areas OSTP has identified:

1. Meeting and surpassing federal requirements for digital accessibility of S&T publications.
2. Promoting awareness of barriers to digital accessibility, advancing training to reduce such barriers, and increasing accountability for improving the digital accessibility of S&T publications.
3. Promoting improvement and use of platforms, apps, testing tools, and resources that facilitate the design, creation, production, interoperability, and user experience of digitally accessible S&T publications.

This event builds on the progress that the Biden-Harris Administration has made to expand free, immediate, and equitable public access to peer-reviewed publications and scientific datasets resulting from federally funded research. In December 2023, the White House also issued a memorandum on strengthening digital accessibility. And in April 2024, the Department of Justice published a new rule clarifying existing requirements for web content and mobile apps provided by state and local governments.

The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to supporting sustained collaboration and coordination across the research and scholarly communications ecosystem to achieve a more open, accessible, and inclusive future for science and innovation. To bolster these efforts, OSTP welcomes information about what your organization is doing and ideas for future action in these areas at OpenScience@OSTP.eop.gov.

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