Accessibility

For equal access, consider both physical and digital accessibility

COMMENTARY | Features such as clear navigation, readable text and multimedia alternatives improve the customer experience for everyone, leading to higher levels of satisfaction, engagement and trust.

Prioritization key to prep for website accessibility rule

Now that the Department of Justice has issued a final rule to make government websites accessible for people with disabilities, states and localities have to start implementing it. Here’s how.

‘Invisible’ no more: States move to hire people with disabilities

Tapping potential employees with “non-apparent” conditions like autism, attention deficit disorder and chronic depression can bring qualified candidates to a public sector workforce in desperate need of talent.

Feds move to make gov websites more accessible to people with disabilities

It’s the first time the federal government has ever issued rules clarifying how the more than 30-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act applies online. But the new rules come with a hefty price tag for state and local governments.

Transportation must adapt to an aging population and a changing climate

COMMENTARY | State and local leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to deliver mobility solutions that work better for everyone.

The 15-minute city is a popular planning approach, but relies on ableist assumptions

COMMENTARY | The 15-minute city relies on residents’ abilities to walk and bike. But what what if a resident’s body doesn’t walk or bike in what is considered a normative sense?

Feds calls on states to reevaluate unemployment benefit accessibility

Access to unemployment has been declining and differs drastically across demographic groups. The Labor Department is urging states and territories to do something about it in new guidance.

City puts accessibility at the forefront of disability data

Philadelphia’s disability map can help policymakers deliver more inclusive and accessible services for those living with disabilities.

States grapple with impacts of medical debt

With so many adults struggling with unpaid medical bills, states are taking steps to protect consumers from the negative financial impacts of hospital debt.

Survey: Residents want local governments to be more transparent

The vast majority of respondents want an accessible website with easy to access information and mobile tech to make it easier to engage with local agencies, according to a government technology company.

For rural communities, broadband expansion is no single thing

Small communities trying to take advantage of massive federal funding now available for broadband expansion deal with multiple hurdles. Resistance from major providers is just one of them.

How generative AI is being used to put the humanity back into government

Non-English speaking residents of Minnesota can more easily access driver and vehicle services thanks to a new generative AI-based virtual assistant that automatically translates English into Hmong, Spanish and Somali.

CODE PA to design simple, seamless, secure digital services

The Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience, Pennsylvania's new customer experience shop, will build and deliver accessible, equitable and effective online services.

Short, sweet, simple: Tips for effective government communications

When it comes to communicating vital information to residents, a “clarity before clever” strategy works best, one expert says.

How Do Benefits Enrollment Sites Stack Up?

Civic tech organization Code for America analyzed state social services websites for customer experience. A few states stood out.

How do your benefits enrollment sites measure up?

Civic tech organization Code for America analyzed state social services websites for customer experience. A few states stood out.

Government still wrestles with digital equity, accessibility

Agencies struggle to provide services for individuals with limited English, digital literacy issues and unreliable broadband or online access, a recent survey found.

How to build future-facing ERP

Thoroughly understanding the limitations of the legacy platform and mapping out the business case for replacing an enterprise resource planning system will help agencies build for the future instead of reconstructing the past.

Digitized ID eases re-entry for formerly incarcerated

To streamline the re-entry process for released inmates, the Maryland Re-Entry Passport program launched an online portal that stores digitized copies of personal documents.

Broadband maps for Indian Country called ‘horrible,’ ‘egregious’ and ‘negligent’

Tribal advocates say the FCC’s maps are symbolic of wider, systemic issues, but help may be on the way via a new Virtual Tribal Broadband Office.