States are increasingly working to make digital services accessible to all constituents. This shift has been accelerated in part by the April update to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which mandates state and local governments ensure accessibility of all digital content over the next two or three years.
New Jersey’s new Disability Information Hub, announced Friday, aims to make it easier for the nearly 20 percent of state residents with disabilities — and their families, caregivers and advocates — to access resources, services and support.
The website offers information on nearly 200 programs offered by the state. Food, income and employment assistance program information can be found on this platform; and details on in-home support, vocational rehabilitation and education. Other data highlighted on the hub includes services related to assistive technology, transportation, legal rights and emergency planning.
The hub has specific web pages that organize information by disability communities — for example, for people with intellectual and development disabilities, veterans with disabilities, or people who are hard of hearing or deaf.
Accessibility experts argue products designed for people with disabilities should include people with disabilities in the design process — and that was indeed the case for the hub. Its development and design processes both involved input from individuals with lived experience; and from state agencies and offices, and external partners.
“Working with the dedicated team at [the Department of Human Services] DHS and partners across the state, we developed this new website as a living resource that was designed with — not just for — those in the broader disability community,” state Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole said in a news release.
Notably, the platform also includes resources to help users better navigate the hub itself. Live assistance is available by phone or video, for American Sign Language (ASL) users to get support. Resources for caregivers are organized by life stage, and include a guide on how to get started. DHS has an informational video, and there’s an introduction video for ASL users as well.
The website will continually evolve, with information added to keep it up to date and reflect user feedback, according to the DHS video.
“Everyone deserves the same access to essential information, and this hub ensures that,” Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Executive Director Elizabeth Hill said in a statement.
The state also offers the N.J. Resource Guide, a PDF version of key services and supports that are displayed in the hub; it was last updated and published in March.
