COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard Expands to Include Accessibility Rankings of Websites

April 06, 2021

Johns Hopkins University has launched a tool to measure and rank the accessibility of state vaccine information websites.

The tool, new this week, includes accessible data visualizations and expands a recently-launched effort to help people with disabilities determine when they qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine and how different states prioritize the disability community in the vaccine rollout.

The Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard was created to not only help the disability community get vaccinated, but arm policymakers with data to improve the system.

A common barrier to vaccines for people with disabilities is the accessibility of information. Often state websites rely on charts and tables that can be difficult or impossible for people with vision impairments and other disabilities to read.

The dashboard will now track the accessibility of state and U.S. territory COVID-19 vaccine information websites, and update that information weekly. Currently the top five most accessible sites according to the tool are: Minnesota, Kansas, Louisiana, California, and Washington. The least accessible states are: Virginia, Illinois, Arizona, Mississippi, and Maryland. (Note: Since the publication of this article, Maryland has moved up to No. 7 in vaccine website accessibility.)

The dashboard will soon expand further to begin ranking the accessibility of state vaccine registration sites.

Source: John Hopkins University Hub