Gov 2.0: Transparency without accessibility?

When a redesigned Recovery.gov Web site was unveiled last month to track the distribution of stimulus dollars, it was touted as another example of the Obama administration's push for greater transparency. But the technology and design of the site left one segment of the population less than satisfied. Advocates for people with disabilities found a number of accessibility flaws on the site that jumbled the spending data or otherwise put it beyond the reach of people using screen readers and other assistive devices. "It is unfortunate that Recovery.gov, in its technical implementation, fails to meet longstanding, widely understood accessibility requirements," wrote Seth Grimes, an information technology consultant, in a review of the revamped Web site. The site's administrators fixed the problems within days, Grimes said. But he is concerned that other defects might appear when features are added or updated.