Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Village of Hillside Grievance Procedure Under the Americans with Disabilities Act
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 problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a digital recording of the complaint will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.
The complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:
Joseph Beckwith, ADA Coordinator - Assistant Village Administrator, Director of Communications & Technology
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator, or a duly authorized designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the ADA Coordinator, or a duly authorized designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the Village of Hillside and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
If the response by the ADA Coordinator or a duly authorized designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant or a duly authorized designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the Village Administrator of the Village of Hillside.
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the Village Administrator will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the Village Manager will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.
All written complaints received by ADA Coordinator or an authorized designee, appeals to the Village Administrator, and responses from these two (2) offices will be retained by the Village of Hillside for at least three (3) years.
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 Village of Hillside will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.
Employment: The Village of Hillside 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 Village of Hillside 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 Village of Hillside 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 Village of Hillside 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 Village of Hillside 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 Village of Hillside, should contact the office of the ADA Coordinator as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.
The ADA does not require the Village of Hillside 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 Village of Hillside is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the ADA Coordinator.
The Village of Hillside 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.