NY State Senate Bill 2019-S2485

Senate Bill S2485

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to providing for multi-formatted services menus for the cognitively impaired on websites operated by certain state agencies

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to finance
Jan 25, 2019	referred to finance

2019-S2485 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1445
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Add §170-c, Exec L; amd §103, St Tech L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: A8708
2017-2018: S7136, A207
2021-2022: S2613, A6284
2023-2024: S3248, A2835

2019-S2485 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to providing for multi-formatted services menus for the cognitively impaired on websites operated by certain state agencies; includes the department of health, office for people with developmental disabilities and the office of mental health.

2019-S2485 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S2485

SPONSOR: HELMING
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the executive law and the state tech-
nology law, in relation to providing for multi-formatted services menus
for the cognitively impaired on websites operated by certain state agen-
cies

 
PURPOSE:

This bill provides that the Department of Health, the Office for People
with Developmental Disabilities, and the Office of Mental Health will
develop multi-formatted services menus accessible on their websites for
persons with cognitive disabilities.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill would require DOH, OPWDD, and OMH to develop
multi-formatted services menus accessible on their websites. Such menus
would include charts and graphs, dynamic flowcharts, and videos to help
visual and auditory learners.

Section 2 of the bill would require the Office of Information Technology
Services to assist the aforementioned agencies in developing such menus.

Section 3 of the bill provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Twenty-eight million United States citizens have cognitive disabilities
such as developmental disability; severe, persistent mental illness;
brain injury; stroke; and neurodegenerative disorders such as
Alzheimer's disease. The disruptive convergence of computing and commu-
nication technologies has substantially altered how people acquire,
utilize, and disseminate knowledge and information.

Access to comprehensible information and usable communication technolo-
gies is necessary for all people in our society, particularly for people
with cognitive disabilities, to promote self-determination and to engage
meaningfully in major aspects of life such as education, health
promotion, employment, recreation, and civic participation. Technology
and information access by people with cognitive disabilities must be
guided by standards and best-practices, such as personalization and
compatibility across devices and platforms, and through the application
of innovations including automated and predictive technologies, Ensuring
access to technology and information for the 28 million people with
cognitive disabilities in the United States will create new-markets and
employment opportunities; decrease dependency on public services; reduce
healthcare costs; and improve the independence, productivity, and quali-
ty of life of people with cognitive disabilities.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2018: S.7136 referred to Finance/A.207 referred to Ways and Means

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S2485 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2485
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 25, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HELMING -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law  and  the  state  technology  law,  in
   relation  to  providing  for  multi-formatted  services  menus for the
   cognitively impaired on websites operated by certain state agencies

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  The executive law is amended by adding a new section 170-c
 to read as follows:
   §  170-C. MULTI-FORMATTED SERVICES MENUS FOR THE COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED.
 THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISA-
 BILITIES AND THE OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH SHALL DEVELOP, WITH THE ASSIST-
 ANCE OF THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY  SERVICES,  MULTI-FORMATTED
 SERVICES  MENUS  FOR PERSONS WHO SUFFER FROM A DISABILITY ARISING FROM A
 COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, WHICH SHALL BE ACCESSIBLE FROM THE  HOME  PAGE  OF
 SUCH  WEBSITE.  SUCH  SERVICES  MENUS  SHALL  INCLUDE A COMPLETE LIST OF
 AVAILABLE SERVICES FROM EACH SUCH AGENCY IN THE FOLLOWING FORMATS:
   1. CHARTS AND GRAPHS FOR VISUAL LEARNERS;
   2. DYNAMIC FLOWCHARTS FOR VISUAL THINKERS. SUCH FLOWCHARTS SHALL:
   (A) MATCH THE WEBSITE VISITOR TO THE AREAS  MOST  CLOSELY  RELATED  TO
 SUCH  WEBSITE VISITOR'S INQUIRY BY ASKING THE WEBSITE VISITOR INDIVIDUAL
 QUESTIONS AND THEN PRODUCING RESPONSES IN LOGICAL SEQUENCE; AND
   (B) ALLOW WEBSITE VISITORS TO REVISE THEIR ANSWERS  AT  ANY  POINT  IN
 ORDER TO BE PROMPTED TO THE NEXT MENU; AND
   3.  VIDEOS  FOR  AUDITORY  LEARNERS.  SUCH VIDEOS SHALL INCLUDE CLOSED
 CAPTIONS AND A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF SUCH VIDEOS FOR REVIEW  OF  REFERENCES
 OR INFORMATION MENTIONED IN SUCH VIDEOS.
   § 2. Subdivisions 20 and 21 of section 103 of the state technology law
 are renumbered subdivisions 21 and 22, and a new subdivision 20 is added
 to read as follows:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04955-01-9

 S. 2485                             2
 
   20.  TO  ADVISE  AND  ASSIST  THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE OFFICE FOR
 PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND THE OFFICE OF  MENTAL  HEALTH
 IN DEVELOPING MULTI-FORMATTED SERVICES MENUS FOR PERSONS WHO SUFFER FROM
 A DISABILITY ARISING FROM A COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE
 HUNDRED SEVENTY-C OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW.
   §  3.    This  act  shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day
 after it shall have become a law.

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