On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. The ADA is a comprehensive civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. It is also a declaration of equality for people with disabilities, including the statement of congressional intent “to assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.” It broadly protects the rights of individuals with disabilities in employment, access to State and local government services, places of public accommodation, transportation, and other important areas of life.
NOTICE UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), the City of Pasadena will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.
Employment: The City of Pasadena 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 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’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 Pasadena 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 City of Pasadena facilities, 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 Pasadena, should contact the Pasadena Citizen Service Center at (626) 744-7311 as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.
The ADA does not require the City of Pasadena 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 City of Pasadena is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the Accessibility Issues Coordinator.
The City of Pasadena 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.
parksandrec@cityofpasadena.net
(626) 744-4782
2575 Paloma Street, Pasadena, CA 91107
In accordance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) the City of Pasadena provides reasonable modification to its policies, practices, and procedures so that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to access City programs, services, and activities.When requesting a reasonable modification, an individual with a disability is not required to provide medical documentation or a diagnosis to justify the request, but must be able to explain how the disability is related to the requested modification.
Examples:
- Modifying a “no pet” policy to allow a service animal in a City facility.
- Allowing a person using an electric wheelchair or other mobility device to access areas where electric vehicles are banned.
- Assisting someone with a cognitive disability in understanding and filling out a form to receive public assistance benefits.
The City is not required to take an action to comply with the ADA if it would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a service, program, or activity, or the action would result in undue financial and administrative burdens.
Request a Reasonable Modification
Submit a request for reasonable modification through the City of Pasadena Citizen Service Center online under the “Accessibility” topic, by phone at (626) 744-7311, or by email at csc@cityofpasadena.net.
If a request for reasonable modification is not resolved to the satisfaction of the requestor, the requestor may file a formal grievance.
ADA TITLE II AND SECTION 504 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
It is the policy of the City of Pasadena not to discriminate on the basis of disability. The City of Pasadena has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12132) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), and their implementing regulations. Section 202 states, in part, that “no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.” Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Any person who believes she or he has been subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability may file a grievance under this procedure. It is against the law for the City of Pasadena to retaliate against anyone who files a grievance or cooperates in the investigation of a grievance.
Procedure:
- Grievances must be submitted to the Accessibility Issues Coordinator within 60 calendar days of the date the person filing the grievance becomes aware of the alleged discriminatory action.
- parksandrec@cityofpasadena.net
(626) 744-4782
2575 Paloma Street,
Pasadena, CA 91107 - The grievance must be in writing or, when requested as an accommodation, in another format that accommodates the complainant’s disability. The grievance shall contain the following:
1. Name, address, and phone number of the person filing the grievance;
2. Statement of the problem or action alleged to be discriminatory; and
3. Statement of the remedy or relief sought. - The Accessibility Issues Coordinator (or her/his designee) shall conduct an investigation of the grievance. This investigation may be informal, but it must be thorough, affording all interested persons an opportunity to submit relevant evidence.
- The Accessibility Issues Coordinator will issue a written decision on the grievance no later than 15 calendar days after its filing. The written decision will include instructions for appealing the decision.
- The person filing the grievance may appeal the decision of the Accessibility Issues Coordinator by writing to the Director of the relevant City of Pasadena Department within 15 calendar days of receiving the Accessibility Issues Coordinator’s decision. The Director of the relevant City of Pasadena Department shall issue a written decision in response to the appeal no later than 15 calendar days after its filing, which shall be the final decision of the City of Pasadena.
All records of complaints received pursuant to this grievance procedure will be retained by the Accessibility Issues Coordinator for at least three years.
For assistance completing this form or to receive the form in an alternative format, please contact the Pasadena Citizen Service Center at (626) 744-7311 or CSC@cityofpasadena.net.
Join the Pasadena Access Network
Join the Access Network to receive email updates about disability related news, events, resources, and services in the Pasadena area.
City of Pasadena ADA Coordinator
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all local governments with 50 or more employees to designate an individual to coordinate ADA compliance. The City of Pasadena Accessibility Coordinator coordinates the City’s efforts to comply with the ADA and other disability related laws; investigates complaints of inaccessibility and discrimination based on disability in City facilities and services; provides disability related information to interested persons; and provides staff support to the Accessibility and Disability Commission.
For questions or more information, please contact us at parksandrec@cityofpasadena.net.