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In an effort to keep DHS.gov current, the archive contains outdated information that may not reflect current policy or programs.

DHS Accessibility Day 2022

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DHS Accessibility Day 2022 Banner

DHS Accessibility Day 2022 is a two-day, free virtual event experience using Adobe Connect that brings together people with disabilities, accessibility professionals, and allies within DHS to enhance the user experience through accessible technology.

Even people who may not have anything to do with technology or accessibility are encouraged to join us! Did you know that more than 12 DHS Components have a team with accessibility expertise?

This year's theme is "Inclusion through accessible technology" and the registration will close on May 6, 2022. The event will be held over two days: Wednesday, May 11 and Thursday, May 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Last year, we had over 600 participants in attendance. Both days are packed with panel discussions and presentations from both DHS and external experts.

The event is only available to federal employees and federal contractors within the United States Government.

If you are a DHS employee, please refer to our DHS Connect internal website for more content, such as speakers' biographies, frequently asked questions, download materials, and support for accessibility and accommodations.

Please contact Accessibility@hq.dhs.gov for questions or if you need more information.

Time Category Title Speaker(s)
10:00 – 10:05 a.m. Remarks Introduction and Opening Remarks Nicshan Floyd
Acting DHS OAST Executive Director
10:05 – 10:15 a.m. Remarks Keynote Remarks Eric Hysen
Acting DHS Undersecretary of Management
and DHS Chief Information Officer (CIO)
10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Remarks Keynote Remarks Peter Mina
Acting DHS Officer for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties (CRCL)
10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Remarks Keynote Remarks Michael Land
DHS Digital Services
11:00 – 11:45 a.m. Panel Discussion Discussion on DEIA Executive Order 14035
A look into the DEIA initiative implementation within multiple federal agencies under the Executive Order 14035.
Moderator:  Andrew Nielson, GSA Director of the Government-wide IT Accessibility Program
  • Sharon Wong, Director for DHS Strategic, Recruitment, Diversity & Inclusion (SRDI)
  • Brooke Aiken, FDIC Section 508 Program Manager
11:45 – 12:00 p.m. Break Break  
12:00 – 12:30 p.m. Activity Web Accessibility Storytelling Dominique Wheeler
DHS OAST Project Manager
12:30 – 1:15 p.m. Panel Discussion Discussion on Accessibility inside DHS Moderator:  Matthew Harmon, DHS Director of Web Communications, Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
  • Matthew Byrne, TSA Section 508 Program Manager
  • Janice Fenlason, FEMA Section 508 Program Manager
  • Ken Moser, USCIS Section 508 Program Manager
  • Jeremy Sebest, Senior Executive Secretariat Lead for CISA Office of the Chief Counsel & CISA Disability Employee Association Group Chairperson
1:15 – 1:30 p.m. Break Break  
1:30 – 2:15 p.m. Panel Discussion Discussion on user experience design and the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the design/test process Moderator: Brandon Pace, HQ Section 508 Program Manager
  • Andrew Kirkpatrick, Adobe
  • Christopher Patnoe, Google
  • Chris Sano, Microsoft  
2:15 – 2:55 p.m. Presentation Accessible Virtual Room as a Model for the Federal Government Brain Hendricks and Morgan Garrard
Office of Science & Engineering, Technology Centers Division
DHS Science & Technology Directorate (S&T)
2:55 – 3:00 p.m. Remarks Closing Remarks Nicshan Floyd
Acting DHS OAST Executive Director

Time Category Title Speaker(s)
10:00 – 10:05 a.m. Remarks Opening Remarks   Nicshan Floyd
Acting DHS OAST Executive Director
10:05 – 10:15 a.m. Remarks Keynote Remarks   Michael Horton
DHS Chief Data Officer (CDO)
10:15 – 11:00 a.m. Presentation Accessible Documents Workshop and Automated Testing Tools Nicshan Floyd
Acting DHS OAST Executive Director
11:00 – 11:15 a.m. Break Break  
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   Presentation A11yDevOps (Accessibility Dev/Ops)
Agile DevOps and the future of digital accessibility in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

 
Alan King
DHS OAST Senior Accessibility Engineer
12:00 – 12:45 p.m. Presentation Trusted Tester 5.1 Update   Cliff Soon
DHS OAST Senior Accessibility Analyst
12:45 – 1:00 p.m. Break Break  
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Panel Discussion Discussion on the OAST Playbook from an Acquisition perspective Moderator: Joseph Key, DHS OAST Governance Specialist

508 Program Managers:

  • Eleanor Thompson, USCG
  • Arva Parker, ICE

Office of Chief Information Officer PMs and CORs:

  • Kai Banks
  • Earnest Moore
  • Charles Thomas II

Office of Chief Procurement Officer/Office of Procurement Operations:

  • Shaundra Ford
  • Camara Francis
  • Gregory Clarke
2:00 – 2:15 p.m. Break Break  
2:15 – 2:45 p.m. Presentation Dancing with Accessibility Annette Carr
TSA Disability Program Manager
2:45 – 3:00 p.m. Remarks Closing Remarks  Nicshan Floyd
Acting DHS OAST Executive Director

DHS is committed to ensure all events are accessible, even if they're virtual. Please contact us if you need further assistance or accommodations by clicking here: Submit Request for Accommodation

​Sign Language (ASL)

DHS will provide a team of three American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for both days. There will be one interpreter visible on the screen for most sessions that are 30 minutes or less. When there is a panel discussion, it's possible a team of at least two interpreters will work together in synchronization on the screen. If and when an active interpreter has technical difficulties, relief interpreters are on stand-by to take over quickly to ensure communication facilitation is not interrupted and continue to be effective.

Captioning (CART)

DHS will provide live captioning through a certified machine stenographer (as known as court reporter). Captioning will be feed into Adobe Connect's built-in captioning where you are able to turn on/off, configure the captioning style to your preference (e.g. font, text size, text color, background color). You can even move the captions anywhere on the Adobe Connect window to your liking, just like Zoom! 

Accessible Electronic Materials

DHS will provide all accessible electronic materials for the Blind or Low-Vision Community in advance. If you would like to receive a copy, please contact Accessibility@hq.dhs.gov

Keyboard Shortcuts and Assistive Technology

Adobe authored a helpful white paper on accessibility for Adobe Connect that includes keyboard shortcuts and tips for screen reader users. You can download the white paper here. Adobe developed the Adobe Connect version 11 with accessibility in mind and tested using JAWS 13 as a benchmark.

This virtual event, its materials, and the speakers are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as DHS endorsement or approval of any of the products, services, organizations, or any external links.

Last Updated: 08/01/2024
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