Notice under the Americans with Disabilities Act
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the City of Lakewood will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in the City’s services, programs, or activities.
Employment: The City does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Effective Communication: Upon request by a qualified person with a disability, the City will provide a reasonable accommodation to facilitate effective and equally accessible communication for those interested in the City’s programs, services and activities.
Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The City will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all City programs, services and activities. For example, individuals with qualified service animals are welcomed in City offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.
According to the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 49.60.214) a service animal is “any dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The work or tasks performed must be directly related to the individual’s disability. Crime deterrent, emotional support, well-being, comfort or companionship do not constitute work or tasks.”
Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a City program, service or activity should contact the Human Resources Department, City of Lakewood, 6000 Main Street SW, Lakewood, Washington 98499, 253-589-2489 (City Hall main line).
The ADA does not require the City to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
Complaints that a City program, service or activity is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the Human Resources Department, City of Lakewood, 6000 Main Street SW, Lakewood, Washington 98499, 253-589-2489 (City Hall main line).
The City will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.
Grievance procedure under the Americans with Disabilities Act
This grievance procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the City. The City’s personnel policy governs employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.
The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date, and description of the situation. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request. The ADA grievance form may be used to file a complaint but is not required.
The complaint should be submitted by the complainant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible, but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to: Human Resources Director, City of Lakewood, 6000 Main Street SW, Lakewood, WA 98499-5027.
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the Human Resources Director or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the Human Resources Director or designee will respond in writing and where appropriate in a format accessible to the complainant. The response will explain the position of the City and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
If the response by the Human Resources Director or designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision to the City Manager within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response.
Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the City Manager or designee will provide a final resolution of the complaint in writing and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant.
All written complaints received by the Human Resources Director or designee, appeals to the City Manager or designee and responses from these two offices will be retained by the City for at least three years.