The American public increasingly interacts with the U.S. government digitally and relies on digital media to access services and information, according to Federal Chief Information Officer Clare Martorana.
For this reason, the September 2023 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget titled “Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience” is likely to have a significant impact in 2024, Martorana, a Wash100 awardee, told Federal News Network in an interview.
The memo contains guidance that implements the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, which mandates government agencies to make their services available to the public in a digital format that is designed to be secure, usable and accessible.
For the federal CIO, the American public deserves “the best possible customer experience,” and in order to achieve this, “we must fix the digital experience.”
Martorana also believes that the December 2023 OMB memo titled “Strengthening Digital Accessibility and the Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act” will have “an immediate, positive impact” in the current year.
That memo calls on federal agencies to incorporate into their operations “digital accessibility,” or the development and implementation of information and communication technologies that can be used by individuals with disabilities.
According to Martorana, all Americans, regardless of one’s disability, have a right to equal access to government services. The Digital Accessibility memo is key because “it helps build and sustain an accessible Federal technology environment that delivers for everyone.”
Chief information officers from the U.S. government and industry will gather at the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual CIO Summit, which will take place on April 17. Register now to attend this important event!