FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2002 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CR (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. On July 24, 2002, Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Ralph F. Boyd, Jr., will meet with city and county government representatives, community advocates, and residents with disabilities from four communities to discuss the impact of a Department initiative to improve access for people with disabilities to all aspects of civic life under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. The communities represented include Fernandina Beach, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; Springfield, Missouri, including the city of Springfield, the Springfield Library, and the Springfield Utilities; and Summers County, West Virginia.
The meeting commemorates the signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act twelve years ago by President George H W. Bush. Also today in conjunction with the meeting, the Department announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with the City of Flagstaff, Arizona. This agreement, reached under Project Civic Access, provides access to various municipal facilities, programs, activities, and services.
Today's meeting recognizes the actions of these communities in complying with the ADA under the Department's Project Civic Access, a wide-ranging initiative to ensure that state facilities, counties, cities, towns, and villages comply with the ADA. The Project was initiated to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in civic life, a fundamental part of American society. As part of the Project, Departmental investigators surveyed state and local government facilities and programs across the country for the purpose of negotiating modifications needed to comply with ADA requirements.
To date, 51 governments across the nation, including Flagstaff, Arizona, have agreed to make changes to make themselves more accessible. During the investigations, Department staff found that most locales knew about the ADA, had made some efforts to comply, and were willing to work though remaining issues amicably. Today's meeting is part of an on-going effort under the Project to work closely with communities eager to provide access to individuals with disabilities under title II of the ADA.
In conjunction with this event, the Division is featuring stories and photographs of individuals in these four communities in a special anniversary display on the Department's ADA Home Page, www.ada.gov.
Depending on the circumstances in each community, the agreements address specific areas where access can be improved. For instance, the agreements require certain communities to: improve access at city and town halls; police and fire stations; courthouses; employment services offices; senior activities centers; convention centers; libraries; museums; sports facilities; golf course club houses; parks; pools; as well as skating and skateboard rinks; alter polling places or provide curbside or absentee balloting; install TTY equipment for 9-1-1 emergency services, and for offices that receive calls from the public or provide information to the public by telephone, for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech impairments; install assistive listening systems in courtrooms, municipal auditoriums, and conference rooms; provide delivery systems and time frames for providing auxiliary aids, including sign language interpreters and materials in Braille, large print, or on cassette tapes; and establish grievance procedures for resolving complaints of violations of title II of the ADA.
Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the programs, services, and activities of state and local governments. Public entities must make reasonable modifications in policies that deny equal access, provide effective communication, and make their programs accessible through the removal of barriers or through alternate methods of program delivery, unless an undue burden or fundamental alteration of the program would result.
People interested in finding out more about the ADA or today's agreements can access the ADA home page at www.ada.gov or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD). 02-423
Source: US Department of Justice
