Samuel E. Himes

Section 508 outlines the digital accessibility requirements for federal agencies. Any company that wishes to do business with a federal agency must prove it meets the law’s standards. What does that mean for your organization? Learn more about Section 508: https://hubs.li/Q02BxcKk0 #Accessibility #DigitalAccessibility #Section508 #A11y

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New York State recently passed legislation requiring state agencies conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Curious about what this means for your organization? Learn more about New York State requirements for digital accessibility: https://hubs.li/Q02H5lL40 #Accessibility #DigitalAccessibility #A11y #Legal #WCAG

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A new web content accessibility rule that applies to State and Local entities became effective yesterday (Title II of the ADA). Join us this Thursday at 10am for a webinar tailored for professionals working in state entities to learn about actions you must take now to ensure compliance. Register now: https://lnkd.in/eqzVmTqE #accessibility #compliance #ADA #TitleII #InteractiveAdvantage

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#SaveTheDate! Join our June 20 #webinar as we present data available from public sector programs and the American Community Survey. Learn about the different types of business and demographic data available and how it can help guide decisions. Register: https://lnkd.in/eC_WWXRa #ACSdata

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Evaluating your agency’s accessibility just got a whole lot easier through OpenACR, GSA’s new Accessibility Conformance Report tool. See how this will make accessibility for everyone easier: https://lnkd.in/eDJxpgMh 

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Are state and local governments ready for the new DOJ accessibility rules? Dive into our latest blog post from Mark Headd and Brian DeConinck about the challenges we’ve seen when creating truly accessible products and tips for state and local governments looking to advance their accessibility practices. https://lnkd.in/dBxnr3fH #accessibility

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released a final rule, effective today, June 24, on digital accessibility requirements for State and Local governments...but what does this mean? 🤔 In the next two to three years, state and local governments (including schools and libraries) MUST provide accessible websites and mobile applications under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 💻📱 Unsure if your website meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards and maintains compliance with the ADA? Read our blog to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ezKziMYX #ADA #StateGovernment #LocalGovernment #WebsiteCompliance #WebAccessibility #DOJ #WCAG

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Government and higher ed #webdevelopment complexity is often misunderstood. Consider the Federal Student Aid site debacle this year; what could have caused such a massive failure? The web development experts from Pantheon Platform and Aten Design Group weigh in on what could've gone wrong -- and how it could be prevented in the future. Check out a preview of the conversation below, and watch the full discussion here: https://ow.ly/3z7q50SrSC4

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My article, “Service Design Heuristics for Employee Experiences” was published by Touchpoint, the magazine of the Service Design Network: https://lnkd.in/gzweSgUB The article describes eight proven heuristics businesses can use to increase their chances to deliver an experience that benefits both the organization and its workforce. #ServiceDesign #EmployeeExperience

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I submitted a talk about UX patterns and needs that lead me to turn off Drupal. It's not an anti-Drupal talk, it's an anti-end-user-complexity-and-training-requirements, talk. There are many great Drupal sites and use-cases. Straight forward content collection and body field presentation, is not one of them. I'm not sure this talk will be accepted, but I figured I'd at least try and put into words the pursuit of content creator joy that we are going for. Less screens, less 'previews', less training, less new process; more of adapting to the workflows users are familiar with and present to us less as "challenges" and more as requirements to improve adoption and success in ownership.

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Today I was able to speak to the Agile For Patriots group on, "Aligning UX with Agile Methodologies". I want to thank Mike Torrence for the opportunity. We had a great discussion that really went deep on helping them understand what "EXACTLY" a Principal UX Consultant does(Wow!!!). After doing it for over 2 decades it sounds insane to know as much as I do. That would sound like a flex...until I rattle off all the Clients, Projects, Stakeholders, C-suite Leaders, Teams, Collaborations, Roles, Friendships, Learning Opportunities, Learning Necessities, Failures, Growth, and Balance. What are you GREAT at...but ashamed to say it? ...(because we were raised better)

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🚀 Enhancing Public Engagement with the GovStack CMS 🚀 Engaging with the public effectively means having a robust website. Our latest blog post explores how the Govstack CMS can help government organizations improve public engagement and streamline communication. Discover how you can: 🔹 Increase transparency 🔹 Improve accessibility 🔹 Foster community interaction 🔹 Streamline content management Read the full blog post here: https://bit.ly/3Wlir5T Join us in creating a more connected and engaged community! 🌐 #Govstack #PublicEngagement #DigitalTransformation #GovernmentTech

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This week, I came across Maggie Appleton's term "barefoot developer." The concept is as follows: non-tech folks have been pushed to learn how to code/program (e.g., doctors, teachers). These folks may not be interested or have the time to learn. On the other end of the spectrum are professional developers. In the middle are "barefoot developers" who use pre-existing software and tweak it to meet the needs of a small group. Their needs will never be fully met by commercial products nor can they hire a professional developer. The barefoot developer is the person who creates a "home-cooked" app to fill that gap. I work in a small library and fulfill this barefoot developer role. Some of my projects have included using * JotForm to develop readers' advisory tools * Coda.io to build an interface to manage book groups * Notion to create a dashboard/homescreen for book groups * Floorplanner to design 3D models to reuse elsewhere including in home-built kiosk software What do you think of this concept and are you a "barefoot developer" for your library? If yes, what projects have you been built? Read Maggie Appleton's conference notes at https://lnkd.in/eN6yjrxw

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The Maryland legislature passed the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, making it the seventeenth state to enact comprehensive privacy legislation. This blog post summarizes the statute’s key takeaways: https://okt.to/8IhQba #MODPA

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How do we handle fraud and bots in online qualitative research? Thompson and colleagues provide insights and best practices in a new #openaccess article in HBR. Read today! https://loom.ly/c7pf4sQ

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Tips for advancing the technical and cultural shift to digital accessibility in your organization, no matter the level of resources available. https://buff.ly/4bxfMuW #DigitalAccessibility #Accessibility #A11y

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The Department of Justice has just released a new rule that will significantly impact digital accessibility for government services. While the rule directly applies to state and local governments, it will likely have ripple effects on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. As government agencies are more and more choosing COTS and SaaS solutions, they will need to ensure these solutions meet the new accessibility standards. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for COTS providers serving the government sector. Those who prioritize accessibility and compliance are committed to solving the digital divide to meet all people where they are. #Accessibility, #DigitalInclusion, #GovTech, #PublicSector, #HHSIT https://lnkd.in/ehkXWVwh

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