Select Committee Tackles House Accessibility Hurdles in Hearing
The hearing examined barriers within facilities and technology that inhibit accessibility for Americans
Chair Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Vice Chair William Timmons (R-SC) of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (“Select Committee”) held a virtual hearing to explore the hurdles Americans face in working for the House or engaging with Congress.
“For the House to fulfill its charge of transforming public opinion into public policy they need to be able to hear from all the people they represent, but access to Congress is not universal,” said Kilmer. “The physical barriers to access are many and vary across the Capitol complex with small elevators, steep steps, heavy doors, and tight spaces being hallmarks of this institution. Digital accessibility is also a challenge that must be worked on so that visually or hearing-impaired individuals can access congressional websites in a consistent way. It is essential we live up to our title of the “People’s House” and advance recommendations that ensure everyone has equal access to Congress.”
“A modern Congress must invest in a diverse workforce that accurately represents the communities we serve, which includes people with disabilities,” said Timmons. “In every step of the lawmaking process constituents should also be able to participate by meeting with members, attending committee hearings, or by engaging their members of Congress online; but there remain too many physical and technological barriers for many Americans. Part of our mission is to make Congress more effective and efficient for the American people, which includes ensuring those with disabilities can participate in our democratic process and have their voices heard.”
During their hearing, titled “Making the House More Accessible to the Disability Community”, the members heard from Rep. Jim Langevin, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Disability Caucus; Phoebe Ball, Disability Counsel for the House Education and Labor Committee; Heather Ansley, Associate Executive Director at Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA); Judy Brewer, Director of Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C); and John Uelmen, General Counsel of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
“As the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress, accessibility in the Capitol complex has always been a personal priority for me,” said Langevin, founding co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus. “Although we’ve made substantial progress towards making the Capitol as accessible as possible, much work still remains. We must continue working to improve physical accessibility, increase accessible communications, and standardize staff training to make our Capitol truly accessible to all those we represent.”
You can watch the full hearing HERE.
Background:
In the 116th Congress, the Committee passed three recommendations to increase accessibility for Americans with disabilities. Those recommendations, along with background information, were detailed in the Committee’s Final Report for the 116th Congress. Additionally, H. Res. 756, the MODCOM resolution, contained language requiring the offices of the House Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol to undertake an ADA report for House facilities.
Access the full hearing transcript at the link below:
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