NJ Municipalities Magazine

History, narrative, and the enduring impact of African and African diasporic voices will be discussed at the 46th Annual Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series, supported by the New Jersey Historical Commission. Beyond Time: Ancient Africa, History, and the Black Imagination will be held at the Paul Robeson Campus Center at Rutgers University-Newark February 21 with a reception immediately after the lecture at the Newark Museum of Art, featuring the Bradford Hayes Quartet.

Keeping New Year’s fitness resolutions is a little bit easier in Monroe Township (Gloucester) in 2026. The township partnered with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield and the National Fitness Campaign to present the community’s new Fitness Court at Owens Memorial Park in Williamstown. This state-of-the-art outdoor workout facility uses body weight exercises to support residents' fitness journeys.

This month's NJ Municipalities magazine focuses on Legislation and Regulation leading off with an article on ADA Website Accessilibity, discussing understanding the Department of Justice’s final rules and what they mean for your municipality in 2026 and beyond.

In our world, the internet has become an indispensable resource. We have information at our fingertips—including information shared by local governments on their websites. In just a few clicks, residents can access meeting agendas, the municipal code, public notices, their water bill, and everything in between. Residents can participate in public meetings remotely or watch recorded meetings. Access to information through local government websites has become the norm and has significantly increased public participation in local government.

Yet many with disabilities are unable to effectively gather information and participate in this new online world, because they cannot effectively access local government websites. While many websites provide some form of accessibility, they often remain ineffective for individuals with certain types of disabilities, require much more effort by the reader to digest the material, or convey the information in a more cumbersome fashion.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires local governments to provide equal access to services, programs, and activities to people with disabilities. In April 2024, the Department of Justice adopted updated regulations for Title II of the ADA. As explained below, those regulations seek to address the gaps in accessibility for state and local government websites for those with disabilities.