This article emphasizes the need for local leaders to prioritize disability equity in advancing upward mobility, addressing systemic barriers that hinder disabled individuals' escape from poverty.
About one in five U.S. households lack home Internet access because many say they don’t need or want it and others—especially lower-income families—can’t afford service or the devices and skills to use it, highlighting persistent digital divide barriers.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The Digital Benefit Network's Digital Identity Community of Practice held a session to hear considerations from civil rights technologists and human-centered design practitioners on ways to ensure program security while simultaneously promoting equity, enabling accessibility, and minimizing bias.
This report puts forth an anti-racist reimagining of Medicaid and CHIP that actively reckons with the racist history of the Medicaid program and offers principles and recommendations that capitalize on the transformative potential of the programs. The principles center the voices and agency of program participants and prioritize direct community involvement at all stages of the policy process.
This case study highlights how Illinois is modernizing its student data infrastructure and interagency data sharing to increase access to SNAP and Summer EBT benefits for eligible children and families, particularly those facing systemic barriers.
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
This Urban Institute report identifies strategies to improve young people’s access to public benefits through targeted outreach, benefit navigation, cross-organizational partnerships, and streamlined eligibility processes.
This brief highlights key takeaways from APHSA’s work on young families, starting with an overview of the young families work and its early years, followed by key takeaways and highlights from its final year, ending with opportunities for future work in the young families space.
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
Report by the Aspen Institute discussing Benefits21, a multi-stakeholder, multi-faceted initiative to integrate and modernize benefits systems. This paper provides an overview of Benefits21, along with a discussion of the shortcomings of current public and private benefit systems.
The article outlines NYC Opportunity's "Designed by Community" program, which funds and empowers local leaders to create solutions for challenges in marginalized communities. Initially focused on government projects, the program pivoted during the pandemic to support community-led initiatives, with projects ranging from mentorship programs to tech tools for public housing residents.
The Massachusetts Digital Accessibility and Equity Strategic Plan is a three-year roadmap designed to ensure that all state digital services, websites, and IT products are fully accessible to residents and employees, particularly those with disabilities.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS)
A research report that defines different local early childhood governance models and explains how communities can choose and design governance structures to support effective early care and education systems.
