Purpose
The civil rights and meaningful access statement combines the federally required elements of providing public notice of non-discrimination of all protected classes, and the process for requesting access specific to language and disability. The Office of Equity has consolidated these requirements into one statement to provide a standardized approach for all employees. The civil rights and meaningful access statement:
- Ensures the public is notified of their Civil Rights and the government’s obligations when it comes to city programming, services, and communications.
- Informs the public of their right to make requests for access to City programs, services, activities, and communications.
- Informs the public of their right to make a complaint if they believe they have experienced discrimination.
- Lists appropriate and direct contact information for the public to use for placing requests or complaints.
Failing to use the meaningful access statement creates barriers to access for the public and poses a risk to City civil rights compliance.
Additionally, the civil rights and meaningful access statement provides City employees with minimum guidelines for providing inclusive and equitable engagement, and removing barriers to access. It serves as a continuous reminder to City employees of the City’s civil rights policies and responsibilities.
Usage
It is the responsibility of all city employees who create public communications in any format to provide this statement. All public-facing communication, including signage, must include a version of this statement to demonstrate compliance with ADA Title II and Civil Rights (generally) and Title VI specifically. The statement should be included in (but not limited to): most points of written public contact, interface, communications, websites, brochures, informational material, flyers, posters, signage, email signature lines, press releases, guides, plans, policy, forms, bills, tickets, surveys, etc.
City employees should consider the most appropriate path of communication for their program, service, activity, or resources when deciding what contact number to list on the civil rights and meaningful access statement. The 311 program and number can be used as the central point of contact, and the 311 program has established centralized intake for ADA Accommodation Requests, and ADA Title II and Civil Rights Title VI Discrimination Complaints. However, City employees may still get requests or choose to use their own contact or organization’s contact for requests if they have already established a direct line with community. Ultimately, each bureau is responsible for choosing how they can best field requests for access. Even if a bureau chooses to use 503-823-4000 (311), bureau staff may still receive requests or complaints and should be able to answer the phone calls for the specific program, service, or activity of the bureau. Based on the operational structure of each office, staffmay decide to use 311 and/or a bureau or staff-specific contact (staff contact designated to answer the phone calls for the specific program, service, activity, or organization). Bureaus should decide for themselves the order of contact numbers and information. Relay (711) must be included in all versions. The relay service is free statewide and provides people who are deaf and hard of hearing the ability to place a call using an interpreter. If space allows, bureaus or programs should consider including a contact email address and/or names as part of the contact information listed in addition to the staff contact phone number.
Any staff answering the line should be trained on how to take, refer, or fulfill requests for access, including how to use an interpreter and provide auxiliary aids and services. Since the City of Portland does not have an entirely centralized system for responding to all types of requests, and because centralized intake for complaints is currently limited to ADA Title II and Civil Rights Title VI, bureaus should ensure staff are properly trained to comply with their responsibility to reasonably provide access within their portfolio of public work. Bureau equity and compliance staff should also have policies/standard operating procedures in place for making all staff aware of these federal compliance requirements.
The following provides City employees with standardized statements and examples of when to utilize each version. There are two versions of the combined, civil rights and meaningful access statements and two versions of the meaningful access statement alone. We strongly advise and encourage the use of a combined civil rights and meaningful access statement. The combined versions ensure we meet all notification requirements regardless of funding source, or current or potential assurances. Bureaus may be asked to update or change their access statements. The translation and interpretation add-on has restrictions on its use and should not be used on its own. The decision of which version of the statement to use is up to the discretion of each bureau and will depend on context, content, and formatting.
Civil rights and meaningful access statement versions
City of Portland Equity and Nondiscrimination Notice - complete version
Visit Equity and Non-discrimination Notice | Portland.gov.
Civil rights and meaningful access statement - Long version
The City of Portland is committed to equity, nondiscrimination, and meaningful access. It is the policy of the City that no person, on the basis of race, color, national origin, Limited English Proficiency, disability, age, sex, religion, income level, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status, or other protected class be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise discriminated against under any of the policies, programs, services, or activities it administers, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title II of the American with Disabilities Act, and related authorities and regulations. To request translation, interpretation, accommodations, modifications, or other auxiliary aids or services, or to file a complaint of discrimination, contact 503-823-4000 (311), Relay Service & TTY: 711, or XXX-XXX-XXXX [insert appropriate bureau/staff contact information – phone number and/or email address].
Examples: This version may be included on documents with more space, such as: reports, plans, guides, longer documents, communications or landing pages about policies, programs, or services, signage specifically about civil rights, materials about programming that is state or federally funded, and may be appropriate for some email signatures. To conserve space, City employees may shorten the list of protected classes to “on the basis of race, color, national origin, Limited English Proficiency, disability, or other protected class status…”
Civil rights and meaningful access statement - Short version
The City of Portland is committed to equity and meaningful access, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, Limited English Proficiency, disability, age, sex, religion, income level, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status or other protected class as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related authorities. To request translation, interpretation, accommodations, modifications, or other auxiliary aids or services, or to file a complaint of discrimination, contact 503-823-4000 (311), Relay Service & TTY: 711, or XXX-XXX-XXXX [insert appropriate bureau/staff contact information – phone number and/or email address].
Examples: This version may be included in key communications about policies, programs, or services, notices, websites, signage with limited space, any and all materials about programming that is state or federally funded, and may be appropriate for some email signatures. To conserve space, City employees may shorten the list of protected classes to “on the basis of race, color, national origin, Limited English Proficiency, disability, or other protected class status…”
Meaningful access statement [alone] - Short version
The City of Portland ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services. To request these services, or to file a complaint of discrimination, contact 503-823-4000 (311), Relay Service & TTY: 711, or XXX-XXX-XXXX [insert appropriate bureau/staff contact information – phone number and/or email address].
Examples: This version may be included on maps, fliers, brochures, bills, tickets, and other documents where there is a conservative amount of space, and may be appropriate for standard email signatures.
Meaningful access statement [alone] - Limited space version
The City of Portland is committed to providing meaningful access. To request translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, or other auxiliary aids or services, or to file a complaint of discrimination, contact 503-823-4000 (311), Relay Service & TTY: 711, or XXX-XXX-XXXX [insert appropriate bureau/staff contact information- phone number and/or email address].
Examples: This version may be included on postcards, leaflets, fliers with limited space, and other documents where space for text is very limited.
“Translation and Interpretation” Add-on
Translation and Interpretation
Add-on in the City of Portland Language List languages:
503-823-4000: Traducción e Interpretación | Biên Dịch và Thông Dịch | अनुवादन तथा व्याख्या
口笔译服务 | Устный и письменный перевод | Turjumaad iyo Fasiraad
Письмовий і усний переклад | Traducere și interpretariat | Chiaku me Awewen Kapas
Translation and Interpretation
Use: When there is limited space on the document and translated copies of the full nondiscrimination and meaningful access statements cannot be included, use the statement in English, followed by the translated “translation and interpretation” add-on. This means that unless you include copies of the statement in multiple languages, the translation and interpretation add-on should accompany the statement. The translation and interpretation add-on cannot be used alone. For example, use the short or long version of the civil rights and meaningful access statement in English, then include the translation and interpretation add-on translated into the City of Portland Language List languages. You can provide either the number for 311, as shown in the examples, or the bureau/staff-specific contact.
Example of the short nondiscrimination and meaningful access statement with the translation and interpretation add-on:
The City of Portland is committed to equity and meaningful access, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, Limited English Proficiency, disability, age, sex, religion, income level, sexual orientation, gender identity, familial status or other protected class as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related authorities. To request translation, interpretation, accommodations, modifications, or other auxiliary aids or services, or to file a complaint of discrimination, contact 503-823-4000 (311), Relay Service & TTY: 711, or XXX-XXX-XXXX [insert appropriate bureau/staff contact information – phone number and/or email address].
503-823-4000: Traducción e Interpretación | Biên Dịch và Thông Dịch | अनुवादन तथा व्याख्या
口笔译服务 | Устный и письменный перевод | Turjumaad iyo Fasiraad
Письмовий і усний переклад | Traducere și interpretariat | Chiaku me Awewen Kapas
Translation and Interpretation
Statement of suggested timeframe for request
It is reasonable for local government to seek advanced notice of requests to ensure availability; however, City bureaus have an obligation to make a good faith effort to procure and provide the requested services, even if they received the request at a later date/time. City staff may request, but cannot require, a specific amount of time to fulfill meaningful access requests. The following is the recommended language to insert when requesting a specific timeframe at the end of the meaningful access statement.
For general statements, such as in an email signature or overall general usage:
- Five (5) business days is preferred.
- To better serve you, five (5) business days is preferred.
- Providing 72 hours’ advanced notice is preferred.
- Providing 72 hours’ advanced notice will help to ensure availability.
If using for a scheduled or planned event, activity, or meeting, add either of these options at the end:
- Five (5) business days prior to the event, is preferred.
- To better serve you, five (5) business days prior to the event, is preferred.
- Providing 72 hours' notice prior to the event will help to ensure availability.
Translated Access Statements*
*The copies below are translations of the previous versions of the access statements. We will be providing translated copies of the updated statements soon.
Translation and Interpretation Add-on Multiple Languages
Statements in Romanian
Statements in Spanish
Statements in Chinese (Simplified)
Statements in Chuukese
Statements in Nepali
Statements in Russian
Statements in Somali
Statements in Vietnamese
Statements in Ukranian
Policy and Background
It is the policy of the City of Portland that all City-sponsored programs, services, activities, events, and communications are meaningfully accessible, usable, and nondiscriminatory in accordance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, E.O. 13166, and other related civil rights laws and statues. This includes being physically and programmatically accessible for people with disabilities and providing language access for people with limited English proficiency.
Therefore, City employees, service areas, bureaus, offices, commissions, advisory committees, councils, and any other public-facing body must ensure that their public programs, services, activities, events, and communications are accessible. Accessibility includes providing language services, removing barriers, providing modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids, or other services that ensure access upon request.
This also means any person or class of persons who believes they have experienced discrimination in the receipt of City benefits or services based on their race, color, or national origin, which includes limited English proficiency, disability, or other protected classes in violation of Title VI or Title II, has the right to file a complaint. The City must ensure we notify the public of these protections and disseminate information about the appropriate procedures and contacts to submit complaints.
Per federal implementing regulations, it is the responsibility of City employees, service areas, bureaus, offices, and entities providing public City-sponsored services or activities, to take the necessary steps to ensure that the public’s civil rights protections and meaningful requests for access are included on informational public-facing documents. This includes notices, signage, communications, and other forms of City information. It is essential that appropriate contact information for responding to such requests and for submitting complaints are included in the language.