On July 25, 2012, the Department of Justice entered into a settlement agreement with Kansas City, Missouri (the City), under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
The Department of Justice initiated a compliance review of the City in July 2010, as part of Project Civic Access, a Department initiative to ensure greater access for individuals with disabilities to local government programs, services, activities, and facilities. An on-site survey of the City’s buildings, programs, and services was conducted in late October and early November, 2010. City staff worked cooperatively with the Department throughout the compliance review process in order to reach an agreement.
Facilities and programs surveyed by the Department and covered by the agreement include: 300 Wyandotte Parking Garage, H&R Block Center Garage, Auditorium Plaza Garage, Health Department, Fire Station #14, Tony Aguirre Community Center, Brush Creek Community Center, Shoal Creek Golf Course, Safety Street, 11th and Oak Garage, Shoal Creek Patrol Division, Metro Patrol Division, City Hall Parking Garage, KC Live Parking Garage, Heart of America Parking Garage, Lakeside Nature Center, Starlight Theater, Communications Center, Southeast Community Center, Swope Memorial Golf Course, Swope Memorial Park, Terry R. Dopson Administration Building, City Hall, Fire Station #29, Golden Oaks Park, Robert J. Mohart Center, Conference Center, Hillcrest Community Center, Kansas City North Community Center, Garrison Community Center, 4900 Swope Parkway Building, Watkins Cultural Center, Kansas City Municipal Court, Police Headquarters, American Royal Complex, Fire Station #10, Fire Station #17, Fire Station #8, Animal Shelter, Fire Station #40, Fire Station #6, Swope Park Pool, Fire Station #39, Airport, Municipal Auditorium, Hodge Park Golf Course, Hodge Park Living History Museum, Municipal Public Works, Kansas City Police South Patrol Division, and Fire Station #41. The Department also reviewed the City’s emergency management procedures, employment policies, sidewalks, and its 9-1-1 emergency services.
Under the agreement announced today, Kansas City will take several important steps to improve access for individuals with disabilities. The text of the settlement agreement specifies the particular modifications that Kansas City will make to each of the programs, services, and facilities covered by the agreement as well as the timeframes for making each change. Among other things, the City has agreed to:
Kansas City was founded in 1838 as the "Town of Kansas" at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers, and was incorporated as Kansas City in 1850. Kansas City is often called "Paris on the Plains” because it has more boulevards than any city except Paris, and is also called the “City of Fountains” because it has more fountains than any other city except Rome. According to census data, the City has a total population of 441,545 and approximately 21 percent of Kansas City residents have a disability.
The settlement agreement requires most actions to be completed within three years. For the required accessibility modifications to sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, transportation stops and curb ramps, the City will work with the disability community to prioritize and completed these modifications within six years. The Department will actively monitor compliance with the agreement until it has confirmed that all required actions have been completed.