In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Burlington will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.
Employment
The City of Burlington 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 City of Burlington 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 City of Burlington’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 City of Burlington 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 all City of Burlington 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 City of Burlington, should contact the office of the Title II Burlington ADA Coordinator (contact information listed below) as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.
The City of Burlington 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.
Americans with Disabilities Act Grievance Procedure
This grievance procedure is established to meet the requirements of the ADA. 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 of Burlington
The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number, email address of complainant and location, date, and description of the problem. 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 complaint should be submitted as soon as possible, preferably within 60 calendar days of the alleged violation to:
Katherine Schad, Chief Administrative Officer and ADA Coordinator
802-865-7000
kschad@burlingtonvt.gov
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the Chief Administrative Officer will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the Chief Administrative Officer will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in format that is accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or via audio. The response will explain the position of the City of Burlington and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
If the response by the Chief Administrative Officer does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the Mayor or designee.
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the Mayor or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the Mayor or designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format that is accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.
ADA Grievance Procedure Contacts
Title I Grievances (employment, hiring practices):
Human Resources Office
802-540-2505
hr@burlingtonvt.gov
Title II Grievances (services, programs, activities):
Chief Administrative Officer
Clerk/Treasurer’s Office
802-865-7000
kschad@burlingtonvt.gov
General Accessibility Inquiries
Ethan Fellows
Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Accessibility
efellows@burlingtonvt.gov
Note: The ADA does not require the City of Burlington to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden
