People who are blind and use screen readers will now have independent access to life-saving information offered by “NY-Alert,” New York State’s Mass Notification System. Disability Rights Advocates, a nonprofit, announced on Wednesday, Sept. 29, that under a settlement agreement just reached between blind advocates and the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), the state agency will bring critical information on the NY-Alert website into compliance with web accessibility standards within six months.

The advocates said this will mean that individuals who use screen readers can ensure they receive urgent emergency notifications, including time-sensitive alerts about dangers like hurricanes, floods, fires, and winter storms. The agreement resolves a 2020 complaint filed on behalf of an individual plaintiff, Anne Chiappetta, and the American Council of the Blind of New York, Inc.

Plaintiffs brought the lawsuit because prior to this agreement, individuals who use screen readers to access visual information could not independently use the NY-Alert website to register for urgent alerts or to choose how to receive alerts, putting them at risk during an emergency.

DIsability Rights Advocates said blind individuals often walk and/or rely on public transportation to get around, and can be particularly affected by strong weather conditions that require sudden deviation from the routes that they are familiar with navigating. This makes it essential for them to receive weather and transportation warnings as early as possible, so that they can avoid dangerous or unfamiliar terrain.

In addition to making the existing NY-Alert website accessible, ITS will, over the next two years, conduct monthly accessibility testing, including manual user testing by a specialized third-party contractor, and provide accessibility training for employees and contractors who develop or post content to the NY-Alert website.

Chloe Holzman, a staff attorney at Disability Rights Advocates said recent storms and tragic flash flooding across New York only underscored the importance of effective public emergency warnings that can reach everyone. “We are pleased that ITS will be fixing NY-Alert’s accessibility barriers, so people who rely on screen readers are no longer excluded from urgent notifications designed to save lives,” she said.