Disability.gov (@Disabilitygov) is one of my favorite Twitter accounts. The tweets are so useful, in fact, that I don’t just follow them on Twitter; I subscribe to the account’s RSS feed, making it easier for me to bookmark links and refer back to older posts.

Last month, a couple of tweets informed followers about changes to the Disability.gov site. An ODEP News Release describes the redesign: Disability.gov offers social media tools, upgrades to complement information from 22 federal agencies on disability-related programs and services.

In my work providing information and referral in the disability community, I regularly visited the old site. I usually accessed it via Google search results, though, and didn’t think of it as a starting point for disability resource information. Today’s site seems to be more comprehensive and current than the former site and more user-friendly, too. The How to Use this Site page is clear, informative, and a good “gateway” to the site, and were the site mine to manage, I would actually feature it more prominently (I accessed it from a link in the upper right corner, next to the “Skip to page content” option). The site appears to be fairly accessible: the main page passed WAVE and Section 508 automated evaluations (there were a couple of WAI errors). I can’t attest to its functional accessibility, though.

Tennessee Disability Pathfinder’s is another disability-related site that recently made some changes in order to become more usable.

As Disability.gov does with its How to Use this Site page, Pathfinder provides users with guidance in navigating the site. The descriptions provided by Pathfinder’s “On this site…” feature help visitors decide to which areas of the site they might go to find the information they seek. I also like how, at every turn, users are reminded of the availability of telephone and e-mail assistance. The site truly conveys a sense of invitation and welcome:

seen on the Tennessee Disability Pathfinder website

I must confess that I am a bit biased, as Pathfinder’s is the information and referral program where I served as Program Coordinator before leaving to attend graduate school. I regret that I cannot claim any involvement in the redesign, though, because the site looks great! Here’s a shot of the services database interface (click to enlarge):

Pathfinder services database screen shot

I think that a website whose primary aim is to provide resource information can easily become self-defeating. Lots of information doesn’t necessarily equal lots of useful information, and information loses its value when it can’t be a) found and b) used.  The recent changes to both Disability.gov and the Tennessee Disability Pathfinder website (www.familypathfinder.org) result in sites that are both attractive and more usable for people with disabilities and their families.

LINKS IN THIS POST

• Disability.gov
• Disability.gov: How to Use this Site
• ODEP: Disability.gov offers social media tools, upgrades to complement information from 22 federal agencies on disability-related programs and services
• Tennessee Disability Pathfinder
• Tennessee Disability Pathfinder: Search the Pathfinder Database
• Twitter: @Disabilitygov