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ODEP News Release: [10/15/2004]
Contact Name: Jane Norris or Michael Volpe
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x7909

DisabilityInfo.Gov Celebrates Second Year of Operation With Almost 3.5 Million Visitors

WASHINGTON— U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today hailed the 2nd anniversary of DisabilityInfo.gov—a comprehensive web site with one-stop access to governmental disability information—as an example of President George W. Bush's deep commitment to making government easily accessible to all Americans.

“DisabilityInfo.gov provides Americans with disabilities a direct connection to information and resources they need to become full participants in the 21hast Century workforce,” Secretary Chao said. “Part of President Bush's New Freedom Initiative, this user-friendly site provides a single online portal for information related to education, employment, health, housing and other valuable topics to people with disabilities.”

Assistant Secretary Roy Grizzard, who heads the department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the managing agency for the site, said: “In the past two years, DisabilityInfo.gov has had almost 3.5 million unique visitors from 180 countries. This site is a valuable resource for people with disabilities.”

Since its October 16, 2002, launch, DisabilityInfo.gov has averaged almost 5,800 visitors per day, with the most popular content topics accessed including education, employment, health, housing, income, technology and transportation. Each visit averages almost 11 minutes in duration, according to site statistics, and visitors have come from as far away as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Korea, Germany and China. In all, the site has achieved over 45 million “hits” over two years of operation.

Background: As part of the New Freedom Initiative, and in an effort to remove barriers for people with disabilities, President George Bush on August 28, 2002, issued an Executive Memorandum directing federal agencies to work together and develop a comprehensive federal web site with one-stop access to governmental disability information. Two months later, DisabilityInfo.gov was launched. The site is a collaborative effort across multiple federal agencies and contains information on civil rights, education, employment, job accommodations, housing, technology, transportation, Medicaid and Medicare, and even emergency preparedness.

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