Report Finds Five State Benefits' Websites Inaccessible to People with Disabilities

A June 22, 2010 report finds that state public benefits agencies are increasingly relying on their websites as a means of providing information to the public, and as a means of applying for Medicaid, food stamps, and cash assistance. The new report by the National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) discusses research findings that agency websites have a host of problems that make them inaccessible to people with disabilities who use assistive technology, and difficult for everyone to navigate. COAT notes that the evaluation did not state assessment of any video materials on these websites, and which might involve lack of captioning.

The report, "The Closed Digital Door: State Public Benefits Agencies' Failure to Make Websites Accessible to People with Disabilities and Usable for Everyone," discusses the findings from web accessibility research of agency web sites in California, Florida, Michigan, New York, and Texas. The report describes a host of problems that make it difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to apply for benefits online, request an application, search the website, or contact the agency by email. The accessibility problems found violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and state web accessibility laws and policies. As the federal government and states prepare to implement health care reform, and millions of additional people become eligible for Medicaid, it is critical that state public benefits agency websites are accessible to people with disabilities and usable by everyone, so eligible individuals have ready access to information on the Medicaid program and the application process. The report is also attached below (PDF).

The NCLEJ states it is available to work with advocates to improve public benefits agency website accessibility and usability. To become involved or for more information, please contact Hannah Weinberger-Divack at Tel 312-368-1104 or Cary LaCheen via Email.