We need to nudge governments to start funding and fixing accessibility issues in the Open Source projects that are being used to build digital experiences. Most governments are required by law to build accessible websites and applications. Drupal’s commitment to accessibility is why Drupal is used by a lot of governments to create ambitious digital experiences.

Governments have complex budgeting systems and policies, which can make it difficult for them to contribute to Open Source. At the same time, there are many consulting agencies specializing in Drupal for government, and maybe these organizations need to consider fixing accessibility issues on behalf of their clients.

If an agency started contributing, funding, and fixing accessibility issues in Drupal core and Open Source, they’d be showing their government clients that they are indeed experts who understand the importance of getting involved in the Open Source community.

So I have started this blog post with a direct ask for governments to pay to fix accessibility issues without a full explanation as to why. It helps to step back and look at the bigger context: “Why should governments fix accessibility issues in Drupal Core?”

Governments are using Drupal

This summer’s DrupalGovCon in Washington, DC was the largest Drupal event on the East Coast of the United States. The conference was completely free to attend with 1500 registrants. There were dozens of sponsors promoting their Drupal expertise and services. My presentation, Webform for Government, included a section about accessibility. There were also four sessions dedicated to accessibility.

Besides presenting at DrupalGovCon, I...Read More