An update to the point mentioned in my last post that the Race to the Top applications on the Department of Education’s website are scanned PDFs that aren’t searchable. A former government employee was surprised and indicated that the way the applications are currently posted does not appear to make them accessible to visually impaired readers. Thus, beyond merely being a nuisance to read, this may also make them in violation of the federal government’s own policies and standard practice regarding web accessibility for the disabled. As I’ve noted before, a successful process hinges on high levels of transparency and credibility.