Five New York state and local government agencies entered written agreements with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York Oct. 5 to make COVID-19 vaccination-related websites accessible to blind and visually impaired users.
"In the midst of the ongoing global pandemic, people with vision impairments must be able to access information about how and where to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations," Acting United States Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said in a press release.
The announcement follows a Department of Justice investigation into the matter inspired by a Feb. 25 Kaiser Health Network story detailing the violation of federal, state and local level disability rights laws on COVID-19 vaccination websites.
The agreements state the agencies have corrected issues that prevent blind or visually impaired users from accessing forms or navigating vaccination-related websites.
The agencies also pledged to maintain accessibility on those sites.