Questions state teams ask most
Frequently asked questions
The questions we hear most often from state teams, agency staff, and prime contractors. Every answer cites its source. Voice ask lets you speak any question — see it in the corner.
Real questions, cited answers
How do I start using State Policy Solutions?
Start with the State Action Pack — pick your state, see where you stand, get a priority-ranked recommendation. Or open Voice Ask and speak your question. If you already know what you need, jump to the catalog landing.
Who is this catalog for?
State legislators and their policy staff. State agency directors and program managers. VR counselors. Special educators. Employer HR teams. Advocacy organizations serving the disability community. Every tool is accessible on Day 1 to users of assistive technology, keyboard-only navigation, and screen readers.
Do I need an account?
No. Everything in the discovery layer (Policy Tracker, Comparator, Model Language Library, simulators, ask, publications) is free and public. Engagement tiers (Targeted TA, Action Plan Wizard, Community of Practice) require registration so we can route SME support to your team.
How does Targeted TA work?
You submit a request through the TA Portal. The request enters our SME queue. A subject matter expert acknowledges within 1 business day, drafts a citation-grounded response using our AI-augmented brief pipeline, then reviews and finalizes before delivery. Average turnaround: 3 business days.
Governance: AI Governance Framework.
What's the difference between Targeted TA and the Action Plan Wizard?
Targeted TA is one question, one answer. Turnaround 3 business days. Best for narrow questions. The Action Plan Wizard is team-based multi-week engagement building a full state action plan across gap analysis, policy options, implementation strategy, and performance measures.
Can multiple team members work on the same plan?
Yes. The Action Plan Wizard supports co-authoring across all state team members you designate. Everyone with edit access sees updates in real time. Export to Word, PDF, and accessible HTML at any point.
What happens if the AI chatbot can't answer my question?
The chatbot escalates to a subject matter expert. You get a citation-grounded answer within 3 business days. No question ever dead-ends. Complex or state-specific questions are flagged for SME follow-up automatically.
Where does the data in your tools come from?
Every data point in the catalog cites a source and a last-verified date. Full catalog of sources and refresh cadence at Data Sources & Methodology. Primary sources: NCSL, EEOC, BLS, RSA-911, JAN, ABLE NRC, DOL evaluations, and peer-reviewed research including Yin (2026).
How often is data refreshed?
Refresh cadence varies by source: NCSL bill trackers weekly, ABLE NRC quarterly, BLS state employment monthly, EEOC MD-715 annually. Full schedule at Data Sources & Methodology. Every record shows its last-verified date.
What if I think a data point is wrong?
Email us at info@inclusiveaiinstitute.org with the citation. We investigate every report and publish the outcome in our public change log. Corrections logged with date, prior value, corrected value, and reason.
Can I use your data in my own research?
Yes. Data exports are available in CSV and JSON formats through the Policy Tracker. Cite our aggregation and the underlying primary source. Peer-reviewed research derived from our catalog: please cite Yin (2026) where applicable.
Is every tool accessible?
Yes. Every tool is Section 508 conformant on Day 1 and WCAG 2.1 AA. Tested with NVDA, VoiceOver, and JAWS. Full Accessibility Statement and VPAT published for every product.
Can I use voice input?
Yes. Every subpage has a floating coral "Voice ask" button. Tap it or open Voice Ask. Speech recognition runs entirely in your browser — your voice never leaves your device. Every answer includes a "Read aloud" text-to-speech option.
What about ASL and captioning at events?
Every virtual event through the Community of Practice includes live captioning and ASL interpretation. In-person events include wheelchair-accessible venues, alternative-format materials, and pre-registration accommodation intake.
What if I encounter an accessibility barrier?
We treat accessibility feedback as urgent. Email info@inclusiveaiinstitute.org and we investigate within 1 business day. Or call 703-495-3848.
How do you work with the federally funded TA centers?
We integrate rather than duplicate. Where JAN, EARN, PEAT, CAPE-Youth, or the ABLE NRC owns the topic, our tools link out with clear attribution. See the Partnership Amplification Hub for full integration approach.
Can our state advocacy organization partner with you?
Yes. State advocacy organizations frequently join our Community of Practice. Deeper partnerships (co-branded briefs, joint webinars, model policy amplification) go through our engagement contact. Reach us at info@inclusiveaiinstitute.org.
Do you white-label your products for state agencies?
Yes. State agencies white-label ReachABLE for their consumer-facing outreach, or the ABLE Eligibility Simulator for state VR intake. Contact us for the white-label agreement template.
Can you deliver training to my state's agency staff?
Yes. The AI Academy delivers on-site, hybrid, and virtual training tailored to state agency workflows. See Training Crosswalk for which course fits which role.
Do you have Spanish-language versions of tools?
ReachABLE ships in English and Spanish. Core Voice Ask tool ships in English with Spanish coming next quarter. Full catalog Spanish translation is on our roadmap and prioritized by state partner demand.
Is there a mobile app?
Every tool is fully responsive and works on mobile. ReachABLE has a PWA (Progressive Web App) installable directly to iOS and Android home screens. Voice Ask works on mobile as long as the browser supports Web Speech API.
What's the evidence for the +0.73pp employment effect of ABLE?
Causal identification comes from staggered state-level ABLE program rollouts. Yin (2026) uses a difference-in-differences framework with two-way fixed effects. Full paper: RISEI Lab Working Paper 2026-05. See Evidence Base.
What's the CRM you build?
Under state engagement, we build an accessible CRM technology stack that supports the prime contractor's operational needs. Preview at CRM Preview. Not the same as our public catalog data — this is the operational backend for the SEED contract.
How much does this cost my state?
Nothing directly. The catalog and Level 1 (Targeted TA quick response) are free to state teams. Level 2 (Action Plan Wizard) and Level 3 (Community of Practice) are funded through the SEED contract to ODEP. Custom engagements beyond that go through separate contracting.
Who created these tools?
The Inclusive AI Institute, a hub of innovation and advocacy making AI accessible for people with disabilities. Founding leadership at Who We Are. State Policy Solutions is our newest product line. Research partnership with the RISEI Lab at Northwestern University.
Can I get on a demo call?
Yes. Reach out via contact form or email info@inclusiveaiinstitute.org. Demo calls are typically 30 minutes and include a live walk-through of tools most relevant to your state's priorities.
Are the PDF publications accessible?
Yes. Every Publications Library download is tagged PDF with reading order, alt text on images, and full accessibility metadata. HTML and Word alternatives available for every brief.
Which states have the highest ABLE take-up?
Nebraska (3.04%), Ohio (1.42%), Massachusetts (0.94%), Virginia (0.87%), Maryland (0.68%). National median: 0.41%. See Financial Literacy & ABLE for context and the Cross-State Comparator for peer benchmarking.
Source: ABLE NRC state comparison 2024.