ADA Grievance Policy

TOWN OF WALES

GRIEVANCE POLICY

For the General Public

EQUAL ACCESS TO FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES

Maximum opportunity will be made available to receive citizen comments, complaints, and/or to resolve grievances or inquiries.

STEP 1:

The Town’s Executive Secretary or Wale’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator will be available to meet with citizens and employees during business hours or upon appointment.

When a complaint, grievance, request for program policy interpretation or clarification is received either in writing or through a meeting or telephone call, every effort will be made to create a record regarding the name, address, and telephone number of the person making the complaint, grievance, or program policy interpretation or clarification. If the person desires to be anonymous, he or she may.

A complaint, grievance, request for program policy interpretation or clarification will be responded to within ten working days (if the person making the complaint is identified) in a format that is sensitive to the needs of the recipient, (i.e. verbally, enlarged type face, etc).

Copies of the complaint, grievance, and request for program policy interpretation or clarification and response will be forwarded to the appropriate town agency (i.e. park commission, conservation commission). If the grievance is not resolved at this level it will be progressed to the next level.

STEP 2:

A written grievance will be submitted to the Board of Selectmen. Assistance in writing the grievance will be available to all individuals. All written grievances will be responded to within ten working days by the Board of Selectmen in a format that is sensitive to the needs of the recipient, (i.e. verbally, enlarged type face, etc.).  Local authority for final grievance resolution lies with the Board of Selectmen.

The Town of Wale’s ADA Coordinator is Mr. Trent Bradbury.  He was appointed by the Board of Selectmen to the Coordinator position in 2007.    A copy of the appointment letter is attached. 

TOWN OF WALES

NOTICE UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the Town of Wales will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities. 

Employment: The Town of Wales does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under title I of the ADA.

Effective Communication: The Town of Wales will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in [The Town of Wales’s programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The Town of Wales will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities.  For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in The Town of Wales offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity of the Town of Wales, should contact the office of  the Board of Selectmen, 413-245-7571 as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the the Town of Wales 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 program, service, or activity of the Town of Wales is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Mr. Trent Bradbury, ADA Coordinator, 3 Hallow Road, Wales, MA 01081 or the Board of Selectmen’s Office. 

The Town of Wales 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.