The 21st Century IDEA Act
The 21st Century IDEA Act Sets New Standards for Federal Agencies:
The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) creates new guidelines for federal government agencies. Agencies are now required to have modern websites, including websites that are fully accessible to individuals with disabilities, mobile-friendly websites. All documents on the websites must also be fully functional for all. Electronic signature capability is one function now required for federal documents. Federal Agencies were required to conform to the standards set by the 21st Century IDEA Act by December 20, 2020.
Government Websites:
An existing agency, new, or improved agency website that is intended for public use must:
- Be accessible to individuals according to Section 508 guidelines.
- Have a consistent appearance.
- Must not duplicate an existing agency website.
- Agencies must ensure that websites are regularly reviewed, and if necessary, content is updated and/or eliminated.
- Contain a search feature for public use.
- Websites must be available through agency standard secure connections.
- Agencies must provide public users with new or redesigned websites, web-based forms, and web-based applications.
Agencies must:
- Prioritize remediation base upon usage and importance.
- Submit a list of websites and digital services maintained by the agency that are available for public use.
- Provide a list of websites and digital services that require modernization.
- Provide a cost estimate and schedule of modernization for websites and digital services
- The head of each agency must provide a report on the progress of implementing the requirements of the Act for 4 years.
- This information must also be made available to the public.
Government Services and Forms:
Agencies must identify all public, paper based or in-person government services
- Agencies must provide a budget request that list non-digital services that could be available online, or be mobile friendly, in order to decrease costs and increase customers' satisfactions with their experiences.
- A cost estimate and schedule must be provided for the implementation theses services.
- Agencies must ensure that services and applications are available to the public in web-based and non-digital format.
- All paper-based forms must be available to the public in a digital format.
- Agencies must maintain and make available all digitally-based forms in a paper-based format.
How can iAccessible Help Your Agency Conform to the IDEA Deadlines and Requirements?
iAccessible can perform automated and manual scanning to assess your inventory. With the new standards of the 21st Century IDEA, your inventory must conform, and our Pro and Enterprise plans aid in the process. Receive barrier reports and maintain conformance to accessibility laws. iAccessible can also scan your website and its content for inactive hyperlinks, PDF documents, and for violations based on other web accessibility guidelines and standards.
Learn More about the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA)