Uncle Sam needs YOU! (to make dot gov better)

My fellow citizens, now is the time to come to the aid of your country.  The feds are are serious about wanting diverse, constructive input about how to improve online services to the public - and they are actively listening.  Here's the scoop:  As part of President Obama's Campaign to Cut Waste, the federal government has launched an initiative to streamline and improve agency websites.  From an accessibility standpoint, this is terrific news and a welcome effort!

The .gov Reform Task Force is hip to the wisdom of crowds.  Its leaders have invited citizen Catalysts - including Annetta Cheek, Craig Newmark, Steve Krug, Vanessa Fox, Lee Vann, Ed Mullen, Candi Harrison and others - to "spur and deepen the discussion." In other words, they want all of us to encourage peers from specific communities of online practice to contribute to open, honest dialogue.  Discussions will lead to improvements in the usefulness of web sites and web based services of US Federal government agencies.   The Task Force really wants to hear from citizens - ALL citizens, including those with disabilities - about what we need and what we want from dot gov domains.

So now is your chance - as Joni Mitchell sang, "Call me at the station, the lines are open."  For two weeks, starting Monday, September 19, at 2 p.m. ET and closing on Friday September 30th, the task force will conduct The National Dialogue on Improving Federal Websites.  Catalyst participants listed above will lead a series of discussions on various specific aspects of the redesign challenge.  Your voice is needed, and you won't want to miss any of it!