The California Department of Technology (CDT) released a request for information on Friday.
The intent of the RFI is to create a list of vendors who can assist in making state websites accessible, in response to AB 434.
AB 434, signed into law last year, requires all state websites to implement accessibility and display a seal of proof for it.
"Assembly Bill 434 (Chapter 780, Statutes of 2017) amended Government Code Section § 11546.7 to require, before July 1, 2019 and biennially thereafter, the Director and Chief Information Officer of each Agency/state entity to post on the home page of the Agency/state entity’s internet website a signed certification that the Agency/state entity’s internet website is in compliance with specified accessibility standards," the RFI reads.
"The internet is an essential resource for many aspects of people’s lives including education, employment, government, commerce, health care, recreation, social interaction, and more," the document continues. "The internet provides an opportunity for unprecedented access to information for people with disabilities, helping overcome barriers to print, audio, and visual media."
Getting to that point is up to each individual department, according to Lynda Gledhill, deputy secretary of Communications for the California Government Operations Agency.
"We're just looking to get vendors with knowledge in this area to respond, telling us what they have," Gledhill told Techwire.
The RFI is one part of the accessibility effort. Another part is an informal task force between CDT, GovOps and the Department of Rehabilitation.
"We are bringing resources together to help in that effort because we know that can be overwhelming," Gledhill said.
