To be equitable for all citizens, governments must make sure their websites are accessible to people of all abilities.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 56.7 million people — nearly one in five Americans — have a disability, such as vision loss, hearing loss or mobility impairments. People with disabilities face many challenges when websites are not accessible. For example, individuals who are blind may not be able to navigate a website using a screen reader if the website does not properly label graphics, and individuals who are deaf are not able to understand the narration in an online video if it is not properly captioned. When government agencies fail to make their websites accessible, people with disabilities are unable to get access to important government services and information. Unfortunately, according to a recent study by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), many state government websites are not accessible.
The Vermont Agency of Transportation has recently launched online applications for women and minority residents of Vermont interested in obtaining training programs, employment opportunities, and support services in highway construction.
Employment Diversity in Highway Construction (EDHC) provides several programs to assist Vermont residents in workforce training and job placement. The new online format allows applicants to submit applications from their home computer or smartphone for On the Job Training, Commercial Driver Training Funding, and Highway Construction Training Subsidies.
When Cheryl Barnes walks on Prospect Avenue near her Blue Hills home, she sees the vacant lots and boarded storefronts that are a legacy of neglect and disinvestment stretching back decades.
But Barnes, 71, also sees a “blank slate of opportunity waiting to happen.” She’s hoping the slate will show something soon.
Late next year, the new 9-mile MAX bus line will begin service from downtown to 75th and Prospect. Bus Rapid Transit will mean fewer stops, faster trips and spiffy new stations offering real-time travel information.
The city council unanimously approved its Fiber Optics Master Plan earlier this month.
In the coming years, the public library in San Leandro, Calif., could have more than just books and movies to lend out: Patrons may also be able to check out a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot device.
Weiterlesen: US: Expanded Access to Wi-Fi Is a Keystone in San Leandro, Calif.'s Smart City Plan
Located 12 miles (19 km) south of Boston and stretching across the towns of Weymouth, Abington, and Rockland, the 1,500-acre (600 ha) site where LStar Ventures is developing a technologically advanced smart community called Union Point already has an illustrious history. In a previous life, it was a U.S. Navy air station, the home base for blimps that patrolled the Atlantic Coast during World War II and helped keep munitions ships safe from Nazi submarines.
“There was a certain local pride in hosting the military,” recalls Robert Hedlund, the mayor of Weymouth who as a child once got a chance to fly at the base, thanks to an officers’ flying club that gave rides to local students.
Weiterlesen: US: Massachusetts: Union Point: Building the Smart City