The federal government will soon be required to roll out a tool to help people with developmental disabilities access services in their communities.

President Joe Biden signed the Think Differently Database Act earlier this month. The law mandates that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services establish a clearinghouse of federal and state resources and information for people with disabilities, their caregivers and families.

The website must include details about long-term support services available through Medicaid as well as information about health care, mental health care and more.

The act requires that resources in the database be searchable by zip code, according to lawmakers who spearheaded the measure.

“Currently, many individuals with disabilities, families and caregivers don’t know what services are available to them. My bipartisan bill helps solve this by creating a first-of-its-kind national website with federal and state resources for individuals with disabilities,” former Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., said when he introduced the measure in 2023. “This site will be a one-stop shop for locating resources that support and empower individuals with disabilities. This measure represents an important first step for the federal government to begin living up to its promise to support individuals with disabilities.”

The Department of Health and Human Services has three years to make the clearinghouse a reality.

In addition to mandating the database of disability resources, Biden also recently signed a law requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on assistance to people with disabilities in major disasters, as well as measures improving accessibility at Amtrak stations and at federal buildings.