As Pride Week festivities unfurl throughout Seattle, Seattle Information Technology (IT) is taking the opportunity to spotlight its ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Seattle IT is not merely celebrating; they are taking substantial steps to ensure digital access and equity for all, with a noted focus on reaching communities that historically have been left on the fringe, as reported by Seattle Information Technology.
The city’s efforts to bridge the tech divide date back to the '90s, but Seattle’s campaign for digital equity has been recently reinvigorated by the Internet for All Resolution 31956. Adopted by the City Council in July 2020, the initiative is laser-focused on both creating opportunities and to also stubbornly reducing historical barriers to technology access and use. As a part of this push, the Technology Matching Fund has, since its inception in 1997, allocated over $7 million to community organizations to expand technology accessibility, training, and resources citywide, as per the Seattle Information Technology.
In alignment with those strategic efforts, Seattle IT is dedicated to making its digital properties accessible for people with diverse abilities, covering auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual disabilities. "All City staff working on websites and web applications contribute to making these resources accessible," the agency asserts, and they regularly back their staff with digital accessibility training sessions to keep up with best practices in the field.
Furthermore, Seattle IT embeds the Race and Social Justice (RSJ) principles of the City of Seattle across all operations. "Seattle IT project teams conduct comprehensive evaluations known as Racial Equity Toolkits (RETs) and equity assessments for all project and budget proposals to ensure our RSJ objectives are met," as stated by the Seattle Information Technology.
