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OSTP requests information for data-focused agenda on disability equity

The White House office’s RFI seeks public input for developing an agenda to advance equity for the disability community.
President Joe Biden discusses AI and other topics during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Oct. 2, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The White House is seeking public input to inform its data-focused policy agenda on disability equity.

In a Thursday posting in the Federal Register, the Office of Science and Technology Policy said it is seeking information for the development of the Federal Evidence Agenda on Disability Equity. OSTP’s questions to the public pertain to informing data collection and public access, describing disparities as well as privacy, security and civil rights. 

Specific questions include the type of framework for “defining and measuring disability” or other considerations of which the Disability Data Interagency Working Group (DDIWG) within OSTP’s National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Equitable Data (SED) should be aware. The office also seeks to understand “what disparities faced by individuals with disabilities are not well-understood through existing federal statistics and data collection,” according to the posting. 

The notice also states: “Though previous work by the SED has identified how privacy, confidentiality and civil rights practices apply to other marginalized groups, OSTP seeks input on privacy, confidentiality and civil rights considerations that are unique to the disability community and/or are experienced differently by individuals with disabilities.”

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OSTP’s RFI follows the Biden administration’s 2023 executive order on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government, which directed SED to “coordinate implementation of recommendations” from the Equitable Data Working Group. 

OSTP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Caroline Nihill

Written by Caroline Nihill

Caroline Nihill is a reporter for FedScoop in Washington, D.C., covering federal IT. Her reporting has included the tracking of artificial intelligence governance from the White House and Congress, as well as modernization efforts across the federal government. Caroline was previously an editorial fellow for Scoop News Group, writing for FedScoop, StateScoop, CyberScoop, EdScoop and DefenseScoop. She earned her bachelor’s in media and journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after transferring from the University of Mississippi.

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