The National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ (NASCIO) latest report explains why making digital services usable for everyone is now central to how states manage technology.
The report, Leveraging the State CIO and Statewide Accessibility Officer Partnership Across State IT Operating Structures, makes it clear that accessibility has moved beyond being a technical afterthought. It ranked sixth on NASCIO’s 2026 State CIO Top 10 Priorities list, and the organization’s new report notes that there are “overlaps between accessibility and other core technology pillars like privacy, cybersecurity, procurement and artificial intelligence.”
Those intersections show why accessibility is more than a checkbox — it touches nearly every part of state IT operations. That includes AI tools, whether they’re running chat support, powering personalization, or helping make decisions. The NASCIO report explains that these tools “must be accessible, with CIO oversight ensuring vendors meet compliance requirements,” making sure technology works for everyone.
How these programs are set up, though, depends a lot on how a state runs its IT. The report explains that “variations primarily derive from state chief information officer (CIO) authority.” In states with centralized IT, it’s easier to keep everyone on the same page. Decentralized states rely on guidance and incentives to encourage agencies to meet standards, while hybrid models have to carefully balance shared resources with flexibility at the agency level. In other words, the way a state organizes its IT shapes how accessibility actually gets done.
Another notable takeaway from the report is that accessibility thrives when the state CIO and accessibility officer (AO) join forces. The report points out that “accessibility policies and programs” are the “strongest” under such a partnership. This is because the AO brings deep knowledge of standards, testing and remediation, while the CIO ensures those policies are enforced across all agencies and built into larger IT operations. Together, they create and maintain “a clear digital accessibility policy that is easy to maintain over time,” according to NASCIO.
The report also lays out practical ways to keep accessibility alive every day. That includes continuous monitoring, training and support. In centralized states, policies get built directly into shared platforms, while decentralized states provide guidance, templates and incentives for agencies to follow.
But accessibility isn’t just about making systems function at the highest levels — it can also save money. By replacing inconsistent, agency-specific practices with shared standards, NASCIO said, states can reduce duplication, prevent mistakes and ultimately deliver services more efficiently, creating systems that “improve services for all citizens.” This approach shows that accessibility benefits not only people with disabilities but an entire state government and the communities it serves.
