WaTech Director and State CIO Bill Kehoe was recognized on July 26 by the 2023 Disability Inclusion Network's "Respect, Acceptance and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities" award, or the RADD Award, in the "Administrator/Manager" category.
The DIN Disability Inclusion Administrator/Manager Award celebrates individuals working within the state enterprise that show exemplary leadership in Disability Inclusion.
Bill was nominated by DEI Director Tavares Terry for the award. Tavares wrote:
Bill Kehoe is the first Washington state CIO to embrace accessibility.
When I first met Bill, he told me he understood the importance of accessibility. He is the first State CIO in our state who has championed digital accessibility. This past year, Bill helped create an Accessibility Microsoft Teams site hosted by WaTech.
He also provided support for a Statewide Accessibility Committee and a new resident focused website for accessibility that will eventually become accessibility.wa.gov. It is one thing to say that you are committed to accessibility. Yet Bill has shown his deep commitment through his actions.
He recently successfully recruited a brilliant visually impaired Chief Information Security Officer, Ralph Johnson, to be Washington state's Chief Information Security Officer. This shows not only his commitment to accessibility, but the support for users of adaptive technologies.
Although the WaTech Digital Accessibility Manager position was left unfunded by the legislature, Bill has indicated that he will find a way to fund this work. This not only benefits the state workforce, but all the residents of Washington.
With Bill Kehoe's support and commitment, Washington state will become a more accessible state for all its residents.