White Paper: Digital Accessibility Strategies for Government Efficiency and Trust
Brian Bourn on
We build websites and digital experiences that help people access the services and information they need. Nowhere is this more important than in the public sector, where inaccessible websites and apps can shut out millions – and often those most in need of public services.
Fueled’s new white paper, Accessible by Design: Digital Strategies for Government Efficiency and Trust, offers a framework for turning legal requirements into opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and inclusion. You can download it over on the Fueled website (10up is now the WordPress practice of Fueled).
Accessibility as Essential Infrastructure
Over 61 million Americans live with a disability. Yet, nearly half of the most visited government websites still fall short of accessibility standards. This is more than a compliance issue—people with disabilities, especially those in poverty, depend heavily on public digital services and are often the most excluded when those services aren’t accessible. And when constituents can’t avail themselves of self-service digital resources, they often lean more heavily on costly, legacy ways of getting help that involve increased labor and facility costs for government agencies.
A Strategic, Holistic Approach
Fueled’s framework outlines four pillars for embedding accessibility into government digital services:
- Architectural: Build accessibility into design systems and CMS infrastructure.
- Assistive: Use AI tools like ClassifAI to streamline accessible content creation.
- Preventative: Integrate accessibility checks into everyday publishing workflows.
- Auditing: Continuously monitor and refine with regular automated scans and planned comprehensive checks.
Combined with training services, this proactive approach improves usability for everyone, enhances trust, and reduces long-term costs.
What It Means for Government—and for Us
We’ve seen firsthand the impact of this model in projects like California DMV and CalMatters’ Digital Democracy. Building accessible platforms from the ground up leads to better outcomes—for agencies and the public.
Check out the full white paper in PDF and ePub formats, and if your agency is ready to make accessibility a lasting part of your digital strategy, let’s talk.