ADA/Title VI Coordinator (City)

What is the American Disabilities Act?

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009.
 
The ADA is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin and other characteristics illegal.
 
Disability is defined by the ADA as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity." The determination of whether any particular condition is considered a disability is made on a case by case basis. Certain specific conditions are excluded as disabilities, such as current substance abuse and visual impairment which is correctable by prescription lenses.

ADA Notice

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the City of Huntington, Indiana, will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Employment:  City of Huntington, Indiana, 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:  City of Huntington, Indiana, will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in City of Huntington, Indiana, 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:  City of Huntington, Indiana, 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 Huntington, Indiana, 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 Huntington, Indiana, should contact the office of the ADA Coordinator, Ronda Smelser, at (260) 356-1400 ext. 2004 or the office of the Director of Operations, Annette Carroll, at (260) 356-1400 ext. 2602 as soon as possible but no later than one week before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the City of Huntington, Indiana, 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 Huntington, Indiana, is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at (260) 356-1400 ext. 2004.

The City of Huntington, Indiana, 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.