The purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act is to ensure that individuals with disabilities have the same access and opportunities as those without disabilities. Removal of physical barriers is one way to achieve equal access to programs, services, and activities. The Act also requires governments to adopt and publish grievance procedures for resolving complaints.
We assessed whether the City meets the process requirements in Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, specifically those related to accommodation requests and complaints. We found that the City’s current approach makes accommodation requests difficult for individuals with disabilities, and the process varies by bureau. More consistent data collection and analysis would help the City be more responsive to requests and complaints submitted by individuals with disabilities.
We recommend that the City clarify roles and responsibilities between the Office of Equity and Human Rights and the individual bureaus responding to requests and complaints. The City needs to identify, collect, and analyze data about requests and complaints to improve access and services to individuals with disabilities.