New York – Today, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent) and its Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion in collaboration with Microsoft announced the launch of a citywide Digital Accessibility Training. The innovative new training will equip City of New York employees with the tools and resources needed to produce accessible content for all members of the community, expanding access to critical city information for all residents. The Digital Accessibility Training will be available to all of the City’s over 300,000 employees, reflecting the City’s commitment to fostering a more inclusive digital environment across all its online platforms.

“Establishing the Digital Accessibility Training empowers city employees to prioritize inclusion and access—two vital components for serving millions of New Yorkers, of all abilities,” said DCAS Commissioner Louis A. Molina. “We at DCAS always strive to implement innovative tools in our effort to make educational resources more widespread amongst employees. This launch marks an important milestone as we continue the work of providing easily available accessibility education for employees to ensure every New Yorker can fully engage with the City’s resources.”

Christina Curry, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities has lauded the program and says, “I am so pleased with the launch of this training, which will provide the City’s workforce with the know-how to make their digital content more accessible and user-friendly for everyone, including people with disabilities. We thank Microsoft, DCAS and the Center for Workplace Inclusion for their collaboration with us, which will break down digital doors to make City programs, services and digital workspaces more accessible.”

“Collaboration is at the heart of the Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion (CWAI)," said Martha Jackson, CWAI Executive Director. "Working together with Microsoft, DCAS and MOPD over the past year has solidified the power of public-private partnerships, providing digital accessibility training to thousands of our coworkers throughout city agencies. CWAI is grateful to Angela Lean, Microsoft’s Senior Business Program Lead for Accessible Employee Experience, and the chair of our advisory council, for her determination in helping New York City become a model employer by supporting accessibility and inclusion for all.”

“Today’s announcement demonstrates the importance of building strong public-private partnerships with industry to make our City more accessible and inclusive for New Yorkers with disabilities,” said NYC Talent Executive Director Abby Jo Sigal. “The City’s Plan for Career Success for People with Disabilities is committed to reducing barriers to employment, and this training developed in collaboration with Microsoft, the Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion (CWAI), the Department for Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), and The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) will offer City employees essential training on creating accessible digital content, improve their understanding of the need for accessible documents for city employees and New Yorkers they serve, and will help make our City’s economy more prosperous and inclusive.”

“New York City is one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the world and Microsoft applauds New York City's commitment to delivering an inclusive and accessible technology experience for all residents,” said Angela Lean, Senior Program Lead, Accessible Employee Experience, Microsoft. “Through this effort, the city is providing custom Microsoft accessibility training and tools for New York City's 300,000-person workforce that will ultimately help all New Yorkers access and use crucial City services and resources.”

The Digital Accessibility Training was developed as part of the Mayor’s Plan for Career Success for People with Disabilities, an initiative that addresses the structural challenges many people with disabilities face. The Digital Accessibility Training was specifically designed to address the growing need for accessible content in the digital age, particularly in light of the barriers to information highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new course aims to provide education on the importance of inclusive resources and enable city employees to better implement best practices for producing content that fully meets up-to-date accessibility standards.

The training will be available on the newly launched NYCityLearn platform and includes three key lessons, including:

• Accessibility Key Concepts: “An Introduction to Accessibility” explores the core ideas and definitions needed to understand accessibility concepts. Employees will learn about the definition of accessibility and disability, the importance of accessible technology, and the types of assistive technologies they can utilize when creating both internal and external content for public use.
• Accessibility Standards: “Web Accessibility Principles and Guidelines” introduces employees to the principles used to evaluate and improve web accessibility. Employees will cultivate a deeper understanding of how standards and regulations impact accessible design and development for internal and public-facing content.
• Accessible Content Creation: “How to Create Accessible Content” is designed to help employees understand the benefits and fundamental principles of creating accessible content for diverse audiences. Employees will learn how to utilize Microsoft 365’s accessibility features and how to locate and address accessibility issues.

The new training will develop city employees’ technical skills on digital platforms, allowing them to deliver crucial services more efficiently to New York City’s diverse population. Additionally, employees will gain knowledge on how to clearly communicate their work to a wider range of individuals within their organizations, reducing miscommunication and enhancing productivity. The training will also outline the necessary steps to produce reading and written materials in multimodal formats, providing New Yorkers with many avenues to access all the City services they are entitled.

In addition, city employees will later have access to a range of advanced courses that focus on specific accessibility technologies and practices. Addressing accessible website building, the “Build Accessible SharePoint Sites” course teaches employees how to use utilize SharePoints’ built-in accessibility features and create accessible content within the platform. To aid any employee working on digital projects, “Accessible Evaluation and Testing” will demonstrate how to execute different types of accessibility testing, ensuring that all digital elements and content are properly inspected to meet accessibility standards. Additionally, to promote accessibility across new technologies, “Create Accessible AI Experiences” gives City employees guidance on how to responsibly build AI projects that can empower and enable employees to collaborate effectively with partners and the public.

The launch of the Digital Accessibility Training is the culmination of a nearly two-year effort and grew from the City Council’s Local Law 12 of 2023, which mandated agencies to create five-year accessibility plans in consultation with MOPD. This includes improving physical, digital, and programmatic access, as well as providing effective communications that support the disability community, and thus, the citywide community. This launch showcases the City of New York’s dedication to creating an inclusive culture and conscious workforce that is prepared and empowered to serve New Yorkers from all walks of life.

About the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services

The NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) makes city government work for all New Yorkers. Our commitment to equity, effectiveness, and sustainability guides our work providing City agencies with the resources and support needed to succeed, including:

• Recruiting, hiring, and training City employees.
• Managing 55 public buildings.
• Acquiring, selling, and leasing City property.
• Purchasing over $1 billion in goods and services for City agencies.
• Overseeing the greenest municipal vehicle fleet in the country.
• Leading the City’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from government operations.

Learn more about DCAS by visiting nyc.gov/dcas and by following us on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and listening to the Inside Citywide podcast.

About NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities

The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) has been the liaison between New York City government and the disability community. In partnership with city offices and agencies, MOPD ensures that city initiatives, programs, and policies address the needs and interests of people with disabilities. The office regularly engages in advocacy and policymaking at the local, state, national, and international levels to make sure accessibility and full inclusion are key priorities for all public and private stakeholders alike.

For more information about MOPD and its initiatives, visit nyc.gov/mopd or follow us on social media:

• X (formerly Twitter): @NYCDisabilities
• Instagram: @nyc_disabilities
• Facebook: com/NYCDisabilities

About the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development

The Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (“NYC Talent”) is responsible for the City’s talent and workforce development system that benefits city residents, employers, and the economy. Although we do not issue contracts directly, we partner closely with City agencies and entities that do. NYC Talent seeks new and effective ways to scale and sustain productive public/private partnerships; to develop and match talent to promising careers; to align its education, career preparation and skills training programs across City government; and to coordinate program and fiscal data across stakeholders to provide a comprehensive view of the talent system with the goal of making progress towards the citywide employment objectives laid out in Executive Order #22.

Contact:
Dan Kastanis
Director of Media Relations, DCAS
communications@dcas.nyc.gov