Accessibility

Code for America Unveils First States in Safety Net Cohort

The nonprofit aims to help states build digital tools and services to connect people with health, food assistance and other benefits programs. 

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

Now Available at the Local Library: Basketballs, Air Fryers and Taxidermied Animals

Libraries across the country are diversifying their collections with objects, a growing trend known as the “Library of Things” that aims to help residents learn in new and different ways.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Cracking Down on Fake Service Dogs

Twenty-eight states have passed laws penalizing people for misrepresenting their pets as service dogs, with two more considering legislation this spring.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

New York's Online Voter Registration Will Become Accessible to Blind Voters

Websites for the board of elections and DMV must be accessible by the end of the year under the terms of a lawsuit settlement.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Forget Smart Cities. It’s Regions That Need to Be Smarter.

Widespread digital access and comprehensive infrastructure inventories will be the keys to regional success, according to Brookings policy experts.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Cities Aren’t Built for Parents

The death of a young mother who fell in a New York City subway station has drawn scrutiny to the inaccessibility of public-transit systems.

  • By Alia Wong, The Atlantic

Rural People With Disabilities Are Still Struggling to Recover from the Recession

Not everybody has found employment even as the U.S. economy as a whole added jobs.

  • By Lillie Greiman, Andrew Myers, Bryce Ward and Catherine Ipsen, The Conversation

The Transportation Quandary for Older and Disabled People Is Two-Fold

A recent survey shows the “great need” to serve those who can’t drive or will no longer be able to.

  • By Laura Maggi

When School Choice Means School’s Choice

Parents of students who are “harder to educate” may have a hard time getting schools to reply to their emails about how to apply.

  • By Adam Harris, The Atlantic

A Smart City Is an Accessible City

A new breed of accessibility apps can make life easier for people with disabilities. They can also make it harder.

  • By Aimi Hamraie, The Atlantic

The Best Metro Areas for Commuting by Car

New research from the University of Minnesota ranks major metro areas on job accessibility by car and the effects of congestion.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Verizon Names Indianapolis Its Final 5G Pilot City

Mayor Joe Hogsett welcomed the increased connectivity for residents, but just where it will occur hasn’t been made public.

  • By Dave Nyczepir
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Urban Broadband Needs Upgrading, Too

Digital redlining denies as many city residents access to the internet as it does rural Americans in some states, an advocacy group says.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

A Blueprint For A Modern, Regional Transportation System

But a new report says there’s still a ways to go investing in the right technology, infrastructure and policies.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Thousands Lose Right to Vote Under 'Incompetence' Laws

Laws in 39 states and Washington, D.C., allow judges to strip voting rights from people with mental disorders ranging from schizophrenia to Down syndrome who are deemed “incapacitated” or “incompetent.”

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

The FCC Could Help Make Good Local Broadband Models Great

Santa Cruz County has taken steps to improve internet accessibility in its rural parts but wants local government to have more of a say in federal and state broadband policy discussions.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

When Police Officers Don't Know About the ADA

In many jurisdictions, cops’ noncompliance with the law has led to strain and miscommunication with the deaf community.

  • By Amiel Fields-Meyer, The Atlantic

Amid Infrastructure Crisis, Accessibility-Minded Agencies Are Needed More Than Ever

“Transportation agencies know surprisingly little about the people and places that they serve…” said MassDOT’s secretary at a Brookings Institution event in Washington, D.C.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Accelerating Internet Accessibility in U.S. Cities

EveryoneOn has already brought affordable, reliable internet to 405,000 homes in 48 states, and the nonprofit is about to embark on a nine-month effort to expand its work.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

San Francisco Looks to Level the Broadband Playing Field

Landlords of multi-unit dwellings who attempt to offer only one internet service provider to residents will have to open their doors to resident-requested alternatives, if first-of-its-kind legislation passes.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Voter Information on Government Websites Still Fails Basic Accessibility Tests

Are inaccessible features on government websites making it harder for people with disabilities to vote?

  • By Quinn Libson