Government Web Sites Struggle with Accessibility and Readability, Finds New Report to Be Released at National Press Club Oct. 22

10/21/2003

From: Jennifer Hill of the Benton Foundation, 202-454-5649, jhill@benton.org, http://www.benton.org

News Advisory:

Government websites struggle with accessibility and readability finds a new report, to be released at the National Press Club on October 22, 2003. This Benton Foundation and NYS Forum event is a precursor to the "E-Government for All" virtual conference ( http://www.egov4all.org ), occurring online November 3-14, 2003.

WHAT: "E-Gov for All" Study Release and Policy Forum Luncheon

WHEN: Noon, Wednesday, October 22, 2003; programs begins at 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: National Press Club, First Amendment Room (Washington, D.C.)

WHO: Panel participants include Professor Darrell West of Brown University, John D. Kemp, Chairman, American Association of People with Disabilities, Shireen Mitchell, Executive Director, Digital Sisters, Inc., and Marta Urquilla, Director of Programs, One Economy Corporation

The average government website, the report says, is written at the 11th grade reading level. According to government statistics, almost half of Americans read at only the eighth grade level or lower. Additionally, research showed that 33 percent of government websites met the highest standard of accessibility for the disabled, while 13 percent offered bilingual content. This suggests that as governments migrate their information and services to a cyber environment, they must do more to guarantee that their websites are truly accessible to all.

Members of the press interested in attending the forum are requested to RSVP via e-mail to Jennifer Hill ( jhill@benton.org ), including relevant contact information. By noon on October 22, 2003 a full press release on the forum will be available at http://www.benton.org.

Contact information: Jennifer Hill (e-mail: jhill@benton.org), phone: 202-454-5649.