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By: FEDweek StaffFederal agencies “have missed multiple deadlines to transition from paper to web-based forms,” as required by the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA), a law passed in 2018 anticipating a general transition away from paper within two years of enactment, says a new report.
That law “includes requirements for agencies to ensure their agency websites, web-based applications and forms, and other digital services are up to date, user-friendly, mobile-friendly, accessible, and secure,” says the report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
However, OMB still has not issued guidance the law requires and “in their annual compliance reports, most executive agencies do not report detailed information on their progress transitioning from paper to web-based forms,” it said.
It said that in a sample of more than 1,300 agency forms, only 2 percent were fully compliant with a requirement that they be available in digital format by last December, while another 78 percent were only partially compliant.
It added that there is a “large amount of variation” among agencies regarding whether online forms are accessible to visually impaired users. “Many forms were not navigable using a screen reader at all, while others were somewhat navigable but lacked accurate descriptions of text fields, check boxes, and other form elements,” it said.
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