On behalf of the Health and Human Services department, we proudly share the following information from the

Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month! This month shines a spotlight on the disability employment gap and all the ways advocates, organizations, and businesses across the Commonwealth are working to dismantle it. Take a look at some of the highlights below.

Looking back, the last few months have been an exciting time to be in the disability field, particularly in the IT accessibility space. 

In July, Governor Healey issued Executive Order 614, establishing the Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board, which will promote and ensure the accessibility of information technology maintained by Commonwealth agencies. The executive order establishes a Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board and creates the position of Chief IT Accessibility Officer within the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) to oversee compliance with digital accessibility requirements across the executive department. MOD, which collaborated with EOTSS on developing this order, will sit on the Governance Board. We are so grateful for the Governor’s commitment to supporting accessibility within the Commonwealth.

In August, the US Department of Justice published a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) with proposals for updating the regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act to include requirements about web and mobile application accessibility. These new regulations would require public entities (state, county, and municipal governments) to meet a specific standard for web and mobile application accessibility, namely WCAG 2.1, level AA. 

Accessibility of public web and mobile apps is essential for people with disabilities to equally access government services and programs, and we are very pleased to see recent progress in this field.

Mary Mahon McCauley

Executive Director