[NFBWATlk] Justice Department Launches New Americans with Disabilities Act Website - U.S. Department of Justice - November 23, 2022

[Nightingale, Noel]

https://www.justice.gov/opa/blog/justice-department-launches-new-americans-disabilities-act-website
Justice Department Launches New Americans with Disabilities Act Website
Press Release
U.S. Department of Justice
November 23, 2022

Today, the Department is excited to announce that we are launching a new and improved version of ADA.gov.  Our goal for this revamped website is to better assist people to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as understand their rights and others' rights, by creating and maintaining a website that is modern and user-centered.
"With the new and improved version of ADA.gov that we are launching today, the Civil Rights Division is taking an important step forward by providing information about the ADA in a format that is more tailored to the needs of the people seeking this information," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "As we continue our work to increase compliance with the ADA, the department is committed to helping people with disabilities understand their rights, and to helping those who have obligations under the ADA understand their responsibilities."
The ADA is a civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination.  The ADA guarantees people with disabilities the same opportunities as everyone else to do things like go to work, visit public libraries, and enjoy stores and restaurants in their communities.
Almost all employers, state and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations have to follow the ADA.  The ADA requires the Department of Justice to help people understand their rights and responsibilities under the law.  One way that the Department has done this is through its website, ADA.gov.
The updated version of ADA.gov is designed to more effectively serve the public and help expand access for people with disabilities.  We want people who visit our website to be able to find the answers and information that they are seeking easily, even if they are not very familiar with the ADA or legal jargon.  The version of ADA.gov that you will see starting today works well with mobile devices, includes easy-to-use navigation tools, and is written in plain language.
One way that we have made ADA.gov more user-friendly is by including overviews of featured topics.  These overviews are high-level, plain-language explanations of the existing information that the Department has made available about the law.  They are intended for an audience of people who are not legal experts.  We expect that these overviews will answer 80 percent of common questions about a particular topic.  They are designed to be easy to scan and navigate.  They have clear headings and links that help users skip to a particular section.  The overviews are also designed to be easy to understand.  They use icons to help explain definitions and they provide clear examples.
We want to make sure we are meeting the needs of the people that use ADA.gov.  Our design process has been guided by user testing and feedback from start to finish.  Hearing from users has helped us make the site's content easier to read and understand.  User feedback has also helped us make sure that ADA.gov's visitors are able to find what they need more quickly and easily.  Users have told us that they appreciate the new look, feel, and usability of ADA.gov.   We could not have achieved this result without input from the site's users.  They were a very important part of our development process.
While ADA.gov is launching today, our work won't stop here.  We plan to constantly improve the website.  We will be adding new content on a regular basis.  We will also be transferring additional content from the original website over time.  You will still be able to access the old version of our website at its new address: archive.ada.gov.
We hope that you will help us continue to make ADA.gov even better.  Please let us know what you like about the new website and what we can improve.  You can share your thoughts by filling out our user feedback form on ADA.gov.  We will use your suggestions to keep making ADA.gov a website that gives our users the information they need in a way that is helpful to them.