This is part of a series from our latest report, The Future of Citizen Engagement: Rebuilding the Democratic Dialogue. Over the next few weeks, check back regularly for new posts outlining the principles and featuring accompanying resources, articles, and plans to support them.

As the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated, not all Americans have the mobile and broadband internet service and technical expertise necessary for remote work and school. Those who lack good internet service are also often disadvantaged in other ways. When our tools for engaging with Congress rely mostly or exclusively on the internet, we leave out voices that need to be represented in public policy. The same is true when we require engagement to occur in-person, especially in older buildings that are not compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as was mostly the case prior to the pandemic. The key is to facilitate the broadest possible inclusion. Modern methods of engagement should strive to ensure that all have equal voice in Congress, regardless of status, wealth, ability, distance, broadband access, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other dimension of difference.

In our 2021 report The Future of Citizen Engagement: Rebuilding the Democratic Dialogue, we propose ten principles for modernizing and improving the relationship between Congress and the People. All ten will require changes in the constituent engagement culture and practices in both Congress and the organizations that help facilitate grassroots advocacy. The sixth principle is: Congressional engagement should promote accessibility for all.

There is no one better to discuss the importance of congressional accessibility and to pinpoint recommendations for making Congress more accessible than the Honorable James R. Langevin from Rhode Island. In testimony in a May 2021 hearing before the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress entitled "Making the House More Accessible to the Disability Community," Rep. Langevin provided the following insight (remarks taken in their entirety from the hearing transcript):

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to recognize you and the ranking member. Thank you for holding this hearing. I am honored to be here to contribute my thoughts. As well as the entire Modernization Committee. I just want to recognize you all for the work you are doing and thank you for having me.

So as many of you know, I am the first quadriplegic to serve as a Member of Congress. And as a founding co-chair of the Bipartisan Disability Caucus, accessibility of the Capitol complex has always been a priority for me, because the Hallowed Halls of Congress are where visitors from all across the country come to interact with their Representatives, listen to political discourse, and track legislation that can significantly impact their lives and their livelihoods.

So today I am going to briefly touch on three areas where I believe we can improve, the first of which is physical accessibility.

So physical accessibility of the Capitol complex is something that I think about daily, not by choice, but really out of necessity. The Architect of the Capitol staff, I have to say, have always worked with me to remove barriers, with no better example than the reference to install a lift system on the House floor at the Speaker's rostrum to make the Speaker's rostrum accessible.

However, physical barriers in the Capitol, such as inadequate signage, lack of accessible bathrooms, and improper curb cuts, and also lack of things like automatic door openers, still remain, and is a fact that I am reminded of whenever there is a joint hearing in a room that I am not familiar with and, obviously, the accessibility challenges come up, obviously, once again.

So we need to ensure that the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights completes timely, biennial ADA inspection reports, as required by the Congressional Accountability Act. We also need to improve funding to remove barriers identified in those reports so that we can guarantee that constituents and advocates who travel great distances to make their voices heard can actually enter the room to do so.

Accessible communication is another area where the House, I believe, could be doing better. In an ideal world, each hearing, briefing, press conference, or other event would have Communication Access Realtime Translation -- or CART, as it is known -- services or sign language interpreters provided.

However, these services are generally utilized only upon request, and when requested, staff often don't know where to go to ensure that they are provided.

Additionally, we must continue working to bring congressional websites up to date with accessibility standards, which requires two main components. That is accessible website design and uploading content in accessible formats.

Which brings me to the third area, and that is staff training.

So many House staff are simply not familiar with disability rights or accessibility services and procedures. So by requiring staff to have accessibility training, we can help press staff put out communications in an accessible manner, enable administrative staff to handle internal and external accommodation requests properly, and ensure staff with disabilities know where to request an accommodation without fear of it impacting their job.

The bottom line is that we must continue working to weave accessibility into the foundation of the House of Representatives instead of remedying accessibility concerns only when they are brought to our attention.

If we focus on the three areas that I have discussed -- physical accessibility, accessible communications, and staff training -- we can, I believe, make great progress as an organization.

I appreciate the progress that we have made so far, but clearly more can be done and needs to be done, and I hope we can get there together.

So, with that, I appreciate your time, and I look forward to working with you towards a more inclusive House."

Accessibility to constituents is not only about making it easier for those with disabilities to participate in the public policy process, it is also about ensuring as many as possible can have a voice, regardless of their personal situations. Making Congress and government more accessible takes consideration and effort—hence Rep. Langevin's encouragement to provide staff accessibility training—and, in some cases, it will likely require legislative solutions. For example, as along as there are Americans who lack access to broadband and/or mobile Internet access, there will continue to be a digital divide. Congress and our other institutions of democracy—education, federal services, news outlets, etc.—must be equally accessible to all.

Principle into Practice:

• Members of Congress must ensure their websites and online engagement tools are accessible to all, including through Section 508 compliance.
• In all virtual meetings and events, Congress should include a telephone option, ideally toll-free, to enable participation by those with limited computer and broadband access.
• Members of Congress should conduct both in-person and virtual meetings, so constituents and witnesses who use assistive technology or who cannot travel to their offices, or navigate the buildings can participate.
• Congress should expand its work to make the Capitol and Congress more accessible and inclusive to the one in four Americans with disabilities.

• The Future of Citizen Engagement: Rebuilding the Democratic Dialogue (CMF)
• "Making the House More Accessible to the Disability Community" (hearing before the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, May 27, 2021)