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National Rehabilitation Association Good afternoon everyone. I'm Martin Gould. I work as a research specialist at the National Council on Disability. The National Council on Disability is an independent federal agency consisting of fifteen members. The Council's members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate of the United States and are all individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with disabilities. NCD has been working in the area of assistive technology, information technology, and e-government for the past 10 years.1 I'm grateful to Paula Kuhn and the National Rehabilitation Association for the invitation to come here and speak to you today about e-government. What do we mean by e-government? Why is it an important topic for us to talk about today? What impact does/can it have for our work? On society? How might the NRA respond? How do we ensure that Americans with disabilities are included? What Is E-Government? Electronic government (e-gov) is a relatively new policy concept. Typically, new concepts, are not clearly defined early in their evolution. Different people in various sectors of government are involved in crafting definitions and, at some point, an accepted definition becomes apparent.2 Basically, e-gov is a way for governments to use new technologies to provide people with more convenient access to public sector information and services, to improve the quality of the services and to provide greater opportunities to participate in our democratic institutions and processes. E-gov presents America with some tremendous opportunities to move forward in the 21st Century with higher quality, cost-effective, government services and a better relationship between citizens and their government. It is a way to leverage private sector energies, resources and partnerships to work on social and economic goals that are critical to an Administration. There are already, of course, specific examples of e-gov in America. They range from being able to efficiently access federal government through a one-stop portal (http://www.firstgov.gov/), to being able to follow public legislative affairs through the Internet (http://thomas.loc.gov/), to getting comprehensive statistical information about America from the FedStat website (http://www.icsp.gov/). They include videoconferencing state legislative hearings, to providing select distance learning materials for city and county government employees, to placing information kiosks at municipal buildings for citizens, to funding electronic and information technology (E&IT) at public schools and one-stop career centers. The task for governments is to build on these individual initiatives and develop them into a comprehensive plan for achieving the benefits of e-gov more widely on behalf of all Americans, including people with disabilities. The planned development of e-gov will improve the ability of all people to fully participate in our democracy. But, left to develop by itself, it has the potential to create new divisions in society between those who have the skills and tools to use the new information technologies to participate in our democracy and those who do not. Governments should not be prepared to allow this to happen. How could e-gov improve the quality of government, and peoples' participation in it? When it works, e-gov can improve government in at least four important ways. First, it makes it easier for people to have their say in government. For example, consider a situation where a department or agency proposes to make changes to the way it provides a particular service. It could outline the proposed policy changes on its web site or at its information kiosks and seek comment from people who have something to say about those services, and the proposed new policy. The feedback could then be used to refine that policy. Second, people are able to get better services from government organizations. For example, instead of joining a line to apply for social security benefits, a citizen would be able do it from his or her home and at any time of the day on any day of the week. This will be of particular benefit to those Americans who do not live close to an accessible social security office. This will improve flexibility, speed and access to government services, and it has another potential benefit - lowering the cost of government. Third, people receive more integrated services because different government organizations will be able to communicate more effectively with each other.3 For example, as a result of an accident, a person may need to talk to several different government organizations - the one-stop career center, a vocational rehabilitation counselor, and a social security specialist - outlining their personal circumstances and needs to each organization. If the three organizations have the ability to share information and integrate their services, the person need only go through that process once instead of three times. Fourth, people become better informed because they can get up-to-date and comprehensive information about government laws, regulations, policies and services, and program outcomes. For example, if a government employee wants to purchase accessible computer equipment or software for her agency, purchasing guidelines and accessibility standards are available through http://www.section508.gov. Or, if a consumer wants to consider the use of an Employer Network to help get back into the workforce, she or he might be able to review their availability and background through http://www.ssa.gov/work/ServiceProviders/providers.html. One of the most important issues governments need to take into account in using e-gov to improve all Americans' participation in our democracy involves leadership and strategic planning. There are several Federal visions for e-gov leadership and strategic planning. One is the E-Government Act of 2001.4 Another represents an approach recently promulgated by President George W. Bush.5 Senate Bill 803 and House Resolution 2458, the E-Government Act of 2001 are designed to enhance the management and promotion of electronic government services and processes by establishing a Federal Chief Information Officer within the Office of Management and Budget, and by establishing a broad framework of measures that require using information technology to enhance citizen access to government information and services. The E-Government Act of 2001, intends to set forth a well-coordinated and long-term effort to empower government and the citizens it's supposed to serve. The current approach being taken by President Bush and OMB is through exercising centralized leadership through a small office located at OMB, in conjunction with the efforts of the President's Management Council and a Task Force. The Task Force determined that successful implementation requires prioritizing opportunities and engaging federal leaders to focus resources on initiatives that give the greatest results. Consequently, 24 e-gov initiatives were chosen which the Task Force believes represent a balance of initiatives and resources across four key citizen groups (individuals, businesses, intergovernmental and internal). The 24 initiatives will integrate dozens of overlapping agency E-Government projects that would have made worse the confusing array of federal Web sites. Additionally, the 24 initiatives represent the priorities of the members of the President's Management Council, who can provide the key leadership support needed to overcome resistance to change. Part of the challenge of these ambitious Federal e-gov approaches is whether there are clear, realistic, and comprehensive plans within them to ensure that millions of people with disabilities have agenda status when it comes to deploying e-gov resources throughout American government and beyond. The dangers are obvious. Americans may be easily divided into two groups - those who have the skills and tools to use the new information technologies and those who do not. The purpose of e-gov is to bring people together - not to push them apart. Policy makers and leaders must plan e-gov in such a way that:
Governments' vision should be that Americans will be enabled to use e-gov to gain access to government information and services and participate in our democracy.6 Planned adoption of e-gov will improve peoples' ability to participate in government, and will improve the public sector's ability to provide affective and efficient services. But it is still only a means to an end. The end is improving the lives of all Americans through good government supported by effective and efficient organizations staffed by people devoted to serving the public. How does an e-gov vision fit in with governments' other cultural social and economic goals? The e-gov vision supports two important goals. First, to restore trust in government and to provide responsive and strong services. The e-gov vision will play an important role in achieving this goal. It will: (a) increase collaboration between government organizations; (b) strengthen the relationship between people and the public sector through greater opportunities for participation; and (c) provide the public sector with an opportunity to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their services to the public while, at the same time, reducing the cost of delivery. The second goal, is to help grow an inclusive, innovative economy for the benefit of all. The e-gov vision is all about inclusion - the ability of all people to take part in our economy. It also fits well with similar developments in business and commerce. Together, e-gov, e-business and e-commerce should play an important role in the development of a just and fair society based on the combined impact of the knowledge and skills of all Americans. E-gov should be an example of an innovative use of developing technologies. E-gov should provide an important means of helping present and future Americans to understand and use tools of vital importance to the economic and social prosperity of individual citizens and the nation as a whole. The vision of e-gov created by these principles is powerful and compelling. We will need to keep our eyes on the vision, and pay attention to the complex realities of implementing that vision. Why Is E-Gov An Important Topic For Us? According to a recent Hart-Teeter poll,7 "One year ago e-government was a "revolution" in the making, but now the revolution appears to be going mainstream. E-government is expanding rapidly, particularly at the state and local levels of government. Over the past year alone, nearly one in ten Americans visited a state, county, or city government Web site for the first time. E-government has become an important part of how many Americans interact with government - most Internet users (76%) and over half (51%) of all Americans have now visited a government Web site. Americans are more positive about the idea of e-government, they have higher expectations for what e-government can accomplish, and they are increasingly willing to invest their tax dollars in e-government (p.2)." That same survey also reported that:
The study included surveys of 961 adults nationwide, including an over sample of 155 Internet users, and of 400 government decision makers, including 200 at the federal level, 100 in state government, and 100 in local government. So you can see that our ability to realize the promise of e-gov raises issues that cut to the core of what it means to be an educated and productive citizen, and what it means to be a just and fair society. The significance of e-gov, however, has not been addressed in a systematic way, particularly in relation to Americans with disabilities. A report from the U.S. Department of Commerce indicates that Internet access by people with disabilities is one-half that of people without disabilities, 21.6% compared to 42.1 % respectively (Figure III-1); and personal computer use by people with disabilities is less than one-half that of people without disabilities, 20.9% compared to 51.0% respectively (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2000; pp. 61-83).8 In terms of preparing youth with disabilities for the employment and to fulfill roles in the digital economy, according to a nationally representative survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2000) of 1,000 school administrators about the use of telecommunications in their school: (a) 35% of public schools did not have internet access; (b) 27% of these schools indicated that students did not have access to the internet either through e-mail, newsgroups or the web; (c) 47% of schools indicated that the major barrier to student use of telecommunications was that special education teachers were not being sufficiently trained in the technology; (d) 34% of schools cited not having enough computers available to students with disabilities; (e) 38% of schools reported not having enough computers with alternative input/output devices for students with disabilities; and (f) 39% of schools indicated that there were inadequate evaluation and support services to meet the special technology needs of students with disabilities.9 For people with disabilities, such data suggests that at the beginning of the new Information Age they are disproportionately disadvantaged in their ability to conduct their affairs electronically as citizens, as students, and in a multitude of other roles. At a time when the national employment rate for Americans with disabilities ranges between 47% and 75%, when the high school diploma graduation rate ranges between 27% and 56%, and when access to the tools and electronic and information technologies that are at the core of a 'job that pays a decent wage' and an 'education that counts' are out of the reach of many Americans with disabilities a fully functioning e-gov (at all levels) is desperately needed to help bridge the gap. There is no time to waste. E-gov is off and running hard. A January 2001 inventory documenting the status of e-gov implementation by the federal Government was prepared by the General Service Administration's (GSA) Office of Intergovernmental Solutions and the Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council.10 The report presents findings that include:
A recent study conducted at Brown University11 presents a review of the current condition of e-gov - particularly state governments - as it relates to the World Wide Web. A review of 1,813 Federal and state web (1,716 state government, 36 federal government executive and legislative, 61 federal court) sites found, for example, that only 15% of web sites had some form of disability access. According to the September, 2000 report, to be recorded as accessible to people with disabilities, the site had to have either a TTY (Text Telephone) or TDD (Telephonic device for the Deaf) phone number, or be "Bobby Approved." Another recent study conducted by the Civic resource Group (CRG) is entitled "Cities on the Internet 2001: E-Government Applied."12 CRG systematically evaluated the Web sites of all cities in the United States with a population of over 100,000 and measured over 70 different variables ranging from information delivery, to technology, e-policies, and online services. The in-depth study was conducted to help cities make decisions about how to use the Internet to better serve stakeholders and to help technology and management companies assist cities in their efforts. Among some of the findings, "Cities are ignoring people with disabilities online: Only 5% (n=11) of City sites note that they are accessible (accessibility declaration) for disabled users. Upon follow up testing, no city, including those that claim to be accessible, complied with current accessibility guidelines as set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the recently enacted federal guidelines. While most cities currently are not required to ensure accessible Web sites and online information, the trend in that direction is clear. On the other hand, in April 2000, the National Association of Counties distributed an E-Government Questionnaire to all counties in the country that currently have functioning county governments. This questionnaire was faxed to Information Technology Directors in all counties that have one and to County Administrators/County Clerks in those counties that did not. Counties were informed in the faxed communication that they could respond to the questionnaire by fax or by using the on-line version available on the NACo webpage. Twenty-three percent of the nation's counties completed and returned the survey. These 714 counties represented a cross section of counties by region and by population size. Only the counties in the states of Delaware (3 counties) and Massachusetts (6 counties) did not respond. The availability of the tools of technology for county employees is frequently determined by the size of the county. PCs are largely available to most employees in the bigger counties, including a high percentage where every employee has a PC, but not so in the smaller counties. E-mail availability is not nearly as wide spread, since nearly half the counties indicate that employees do not have email. Only a third of the counties say that each department has e-mail access.13 Nevertheless, the race to implement e-gov is attracting significantly more resources as time goes by. According to recent numbers from the General Accounting Office:
It is clear that if used effectively, e-gov can help reshape government, making it more innovative, efficient, responsive, accessible, and accountable to the public. Successful e-gov, however, must still grapple with some of the same basic challenges that have plagued federal information and technology systems for decades - - inadequate attention to technical and business architecture, adherence to standards and quality, security, and people issues including issues around accessibility that have been articulated above. What Impact Can/Does E-Gov Have For Our Work? There are several areas where e-gov is relevant. First, is our continuous desire and professional commitment to improving service delivery. Second, is a commitment to improving the our agencys'/programs' information management and technology infrastructure. Increasingly, professionals must track a person's progress through the phases of rehabilitation and employment for a number of reasons. Most important is for us to be able to respond to the person's needs in efficient ways and be able to use the data about program/agency participants for strategic and resource planning. To fulfill our professional commitment, we must access IT career-training and pertinent "recertification" (e.g., at the federal level, to comply with existing laws such as GPEA and GPRA, and relatively new laws such as Section 508). The prospect of telecommuting may become more of a reality. Working at off-site locations, which raises a host of opportunities and concerns... [Telework and the New Workplace of the 21st Century. http://www.dol.gov/asp/telework/main.htm Telecommuting: Overview of Challenges Facing Federal Agencies. GAO-01-1116T September 6, 2001. Abstract Telecommuting: Overview of Potential Barriers Facing Employers. GAO-01-926 July 11, 2001. Abstract Federal Workforce: Agencies' Policies and Views on Flexiplace in the Federal Government. GGD-97-116 July 3, 1997. Abstract] Performance, productivity and accountability expectations related to laws and legislation such as GPEA or GPRA (e.g., completing tasks and deliverables faster, cheaper, more frequently) On the other hand, we need to be mindful of potential "health and wellness concerns" that we may encounter as the nature of our professional life migrates towards more frequent use of IT to manage our workloads (e.g., potential for more common repetitive stress injuries a la Williams) What Impact Can/Does E-Gov Have on American Society? The Center for Digital Government, in conjunction with Government Technology magazine and the Progress&Freedom Foundation, is currently conducting the nation's most comprehensive and respected study, the Digital State Survey (http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/center/digitalstates.phtml). The Digital State Survey has become a bellwether for many governments as a measurement tool that provides important information about their progress. The four-part survey documents and assesses progress state governments have made in adopting and utilizing digital technologies to improve the delivery of services to their citizens. The survey focuses on eight areas: (1) Law Enforcement and the Courts; (2) Social Services; (3) Electronic Commerce/Business Regulation; (4) Taxation/Revenue; (5) Digital Democracy; (6) Management/Administration; (7) Education; and (8) GIS/Transportation. I encourage you to visit the Center to track the results of their exciting work. Results of the survey show that state information technology leaders agree that citizens will want more information than ever from their government. They predict important technology initiatives will move forward, just as most Americans go on with their lives. Priorities will shift toward the security arena, but the momentum that drives the nation's top digital states will continue. In addition, The Center for Digital Government, in conjunction with Government Technology magazine, has launched its second annual Digital Cities Survey (http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/center/02digitalcities.phtml). The 2002 study will examine how city governments have progressed in adopting and utilizing digital technologies to improve the delivery of services to their citizens. Mayors, chief information officers and city managers of hundreds of cities throughout the nation will be invited to participate. The survey will group cities into three categories based on population: more than 250,000, 125,000-250,000, and 75,000-125,000. Results of the study will be released in October. How Might the NRA Respond to the E-Gov Evolution? Put someone on point. Make sure you have, at least, an e-government expert in your organization to bring you and your boards and staff up to speed on this developing wave and what it means for your state and local organizations and constituencies. Work to preserve the intellectual capital of the current work force, and enable it with greater efficiency in solving customers issues, questions, and problems by establishing and maintaining knowledge portals for employees at all levels. Again, one very specific example of such a portal is, http://www.firstgov.gov Support the public sector to change its focus from one of developing IT training courses for to developing comprehensive strategies to support career development and workforce issues that involve IT. For example, http://grad.usda.gov/programs_services/distance_learning.cfm Factor the unique IT access needs of employees with disabilities into all public sector policies, strategies, and operational plans. How Do We Ensure That E-Gov Fulfills Its Promise For All Americans, Including Those With Disabilities? Individual federal, state and local government departments need to continue to refine their objectives, strategies, and organization in light of evolving e-government challenges and citizen demands.15 For example, public agencies should be asking a number of questions:
In the near-term, governmental agencies could begin to accomplish this through the development and use of templates - like checklists - that they would use to assess their existing: infrastructure; personnel development; outreach and technical assistance; discretionary program activities; research and development efforts; community and customer relations; and, management and accountability systems. Conclusions There have been many e-gov initiatives undertaken at all levels of government. Governments at all levels have provided increased information access and services to policy makers, public and private sectors workers, and some citizens. An increasing number of government web sites have tried to present online transactions and interactive services for their citizens. The realization of the full potential of e-gov, rests in the same goals that government agencies have been pursuing for many years: true horizontal and vertical integration of programs and services. With the advent of new regulations (e.g., Section 508) that require public agencies to adhere to accessibility guidelines in E&IT procurement and purchasing, and E&IT implementation, the number and quality of e-gov initiatives for Americans with disabilities can only continue to increase. We have come far in the earliest stages of e-gov. We remain optimistic as we recognize the full complexities of the transformation required to make e-gov a reality for all Americans. Online Information and Resources: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/m01-28.html - Citizen-Centered E-Government; Developing the Action Plan http://www.gao.gov [GAO-01-861T, June 12, 2001] - Electronic Government: Selected Agency Plans for Implementing the Government Paperwork Elimination Act http://www.ccic.gov/ac/ - pres-31aug00 - President's Information Technology Advisory Committee http://ombwatch.org/info/2001/sb803.html - E-Government Act of 2001, S. 803 http://www.egovlinks.com/ - E-Gov Links, a mega portal http://www.egov.gov/ - GSA's e-gov web site http://www.dgrc.org/dg-online/index.html - DigitalGovernment Online research site http://www.gcn.com/ - Government Computer News http://www.fcw.com/ - Federal Computer Week http://www.senate.gov/~gov_affairs/egov/ - Interactive e-Government Project http://www.internetpolicy.org/ - Internet Policy Institute http://www.digitalpromise.org/report.asp - Digital Promise Report http://www.section508.gov/ - Section 508 accessibility http://www.joeclark.org/accessiblog/ab-government.html - Mega-Web accessibility site http://www.govexec.com/features/1101/1101s4.htm - "Beyond E-Government" http://www.netcaucus.org/books/egov2001/ - E-Gov Briefing Book, Advisory Committee for the Congressional Internet Caucus 1 NCD (1993), Study on the Financing of Assistive Technology Devices and Services for Individuals with Disabilities, at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/assistive.html ; NCD (1996), Guidance from the Graphical User Interface (GUI): What GUI Teaches About Technology Access, available at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/gui.html; NCD (1996), Access to the Information Superhighway and Emerging Information Technologies by People with Disabilities, at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/superhwy.html; NCD (1998), Access to Multimedia Technology by People with Sensory Disabilities, at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/sensory.html; NCD (2000), Federal Policy Barriers to Assistive Technology, available at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/assisttechnology.html; and NCD (2001), The Accessible Future, available at http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/accessiblefuture.html 2 See, for example, Sally Katzen, Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget, Statement before The Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, October 2, 2000. 3 U.S. General Accounting Office (January, 2002), Human Services Integration: Results of a GAO Cosponsored Conference on Modernizing Information Systems, GAO-02-121, at http://www.gao.gov 4 Congressional Record, May 1, 2001. The E-Government Act of 2001, p. S.4101 5 U.S. Office of Management and Budget (February, 2002), Implementing the President's Management Agenda for E-Government: Simplified Delivery of Services to Citizens, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/egovstrategy.pdf 6 Congress Online Project (2002). Congress Online: Assessing and Improving Capitol Hill Web Sites, at http://www.congressonlineproject.org/pfcongressonline2002.html 7 Council for Excellence in Government (February, 2002). To Connect, Protect, and Serve Us. Author: Washington, D.C. Available at http://www.excelgov.org/techcon/0225poll/index.htm 8 U.S. Department of Commerce (2000). Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion. Author: Washington, D.C. Available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fttn00/Falling.htm. 9 National Center for Education Statistics (2000). What are the barriers to the use of advanced telecommunications for students with disabilities in public schools? U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (NCES 2000-042). Available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000042 10 General Services Administration (January, 2001). An Inventory of Federal e-Government Initiatives. Author: Washington, D.C. Available at http://policyworks.gov/intergov or it can also be found at http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/content/pubs_content.jsp?contentOID=115665&contentType=1008 11 Darrell M. West (September, 2000). Assessing E-Government: The Internet, Democracy, and Service Delivery by State and Federal Governments. Author: Brown University, Providence, RI. Available at http://www.insidepolitics.org/egovtreport00.html 12 Civic Resource Group (August, 2001). Cities on the Internet 2001: E-Government Applied, at http://www.civicresource.com/research.html 13 National Association of Counties (2000). 2000 E-Government Survey, at http://www.naco.org/pubs/surveys/it/2000egov.pdf 14 David M. Walker (July 11, 2001). E-Government in the Information Age: The Long View. Sponsored by E-Gov 2001 Conference. Available at http://www.gao.gov/cghome/ia/egov.htm. 15 Kalir, E. and Maxwell, E. (2002). Rethinking Boundaries in Cyberspace. The Aspen Institute, Author: Washington, D.C., at http://www.aspeninstitute.org/c&s/pdfs/rethinkcyberspace.pdf HOME | FAQs | NEWSROOM | SITE MAP | FEDERAL AGENCIES | RESOURCES |
