News and Updates
Innovative work, news, and ideas from people and teams in government
Next Steps for Section 508 Compliance at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue: Stakeholder Interview Findings
Next Steps for Section 508 Compliance at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue: Stakeholder Interview Findings—Accessibility is the foundation for inclusion, diversity, and equity within the federal government. The main way the government establishes accessibility requirements for information and communication technology is through Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Our team recently documented the steps we took to ensure all documents on onrr.gov are Section 508 compliant. This daunting task is now complete! Read interview findings and discover the next steps used to ensure ONRR continues to be at the forefront of Section 508 compliance.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Call for Participation: 2022 Government UX Summit
Learn more about the User Experience Summit submission process, and submit your presentations for consideration!
New Improvements to Regulations.gov Boost Transparency and Engagement
New Improvements to Regulations.gov Boost Transparency and Engagement—Almost a year ago, GSA launched a new version of Regulations.gov. While the new version came with significant improvements, customers requested the return of a few popular features from the previous version. We are happy to announce progress on the highest priority requests—improved public access to posted comments, and docket subscriptions—and new features that are coming soon.— via General Services Administration
Go-Live Checklist for Federal Websites
Covering the breadth of federal web policy, the new downloadable checklist organizes policy requirements into nine categories and explains what your agency needs to do to meet each requirement.
Celebrating Digital.gov Communities: 2021 in Review
Happenings, milestones, and data points from the past year.
Open-source Information Architecture Design: Using the Tools You Have To Conduct Card Sorting and Tree Testing
Learn how we used GitHub to conduct a card sort and tree testing to improve the information architecture for onrr.gov.
New EPA Interactive Map on Community & Citizen Science
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development recently published an interactive StoryMap on community & citizen science highlighting the importance of citizen science and how EPA supports these efforts. The StoryMap serves as the Agency’s first-ever collection of EPA-led and EPA-funded citizen science activities organized by topic. Explore the map to learn about impactful citizen science work happening across the U.S. and how to get involved.
Keynote Speaker Recap: Would More Plain Language Have Saved Us From the Worst of the Pandemic?
A summary of Cynthia Baur’s keynote at the 2021 Plain Language Summit.
Webinar Recap: Key Takeaways on Simplifying Hazard Communications With Plain Language
An overview of the presentation by Danielle Nagele of NOAA at the 2021 Plain Language Summit. Learn how she and her team used feedback to decrease confusion and increase impact.
New on Section508.gov: Integrating Accessibility into DEIA Implementation Plans
New on Section508.gov: Integrating Accessibility into DEIA Implementation Plans — Accessibility, the “A” in DEIA, is a foundation on which the federal workforce must build diversity, equity and inclusion for people with disabilities. Without accessibility, we cannot truly achieve the others.
The GSA Government-wide IT Accessibility Program has published “Integrating Accessibility into Agency Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Implementation Plans,” a guide designed to support the Accessibility roadmap outlined in the Government-wide Strategic Plan to Advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce. The guidance contained in this article is a preliminary step before offering broader updates to guidance and best practices materials to meet this objective.
— via Section508.gov
Webinar Recap: The Part-Timer
Learn how Joanne Short of the United States Postal Service (USPS) opened professional doors by going beyond her job description in her Plain Language Summit session, The Part-Timer.
Using Technology to Improve Customer Experience and Service Delivery for the American People
Executive Order 14058, released today, reinforces the second priority of the President’s Management Agenda—centered around improving customer services through technology—and demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to reducing customer burden, addressing inequities, and streamlining processes.— via The White House
GSA’s New Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Cloud Guide Helps Agencies Make Better Decisions About Cloud Architecture
GSA’s New Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Cloud Guide Helps Agencies Make Better Decisions About Cloud Architecture—Agencies need informed strategies to understand, anticipate, rationalize, and optimize major cloud architecture decisions. To facilitate the decision process, the GSA Data Center and Cloud Optimization Initiative Program Management Office (DCCOI PMO) is pleased to announce the release of the Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Guide, developed in collaboration with the Cloud and Infrastructure Community of Practice (C&I CoP). This guide is another example of GSA’s commitment to creating simple, user-friendly information and resources to help federal agencies use technology to meet their missions in an effective and efficient way.— via General Services Administration
Results of the 2021 Federal Report Card
GSA’s Fedramp Celebrates 10 Years of Impact on Cloud Security
GSA’s FedRAMP Celebrates 10 Years of Impact on Cloud Security—Today, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) celebrates its 10-year anniversary. On December 8, 2011, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) signed a memo establishing FedRAMP to provide a cost-effective, risk-based approach for the adoption and use of cloud services. This landmark reflects GSA and FedRAMP’s commitment to protecting public and federal information through supporting IT modernization and securing IT infrastructure. Over the past ten years, the program has seen an incredible increase in the adoption of FedRAMP-authorized services and will play a critical role in improving the nation’s cybersecurity.— via General Services Administration
USAGov Fourth Quarter 2021 Insights
USAGov’s Fourth Quarter 2021 Insights—From July to September 2021, people were concerned about COVID-19-related housing and international travel as they searched USA.gov. Get more user insights from our 4th quarter infographic for fiscal year (FY) 2021.— via USA.gov
Unique Vulnerability Counts with Container Scanning
Unique Vulnerability Counts with Container Scanning—As Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) start to submit their container vulnerability scans in order to meet Container Scanning Guidance requirements, stakeholders monitoring submissions should expect to see large increases in the number of unique vulnerabilities. Learn what’s different, and the potential impact for agencies and CSPs.— via FedRAMP