SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

AND

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, NEW YORK

UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

DJ 204-53-113


Press Release | Fact Sheet

BACKGROUND

SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION

The United States Department of Justice (Department) initiated this matter as a compliance review of the County of Chautauqua, New York (County or Chautauqua County), under title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134, and the Department's implementing regulation, 28 C.F.R. Part 35. Because Chautauqua County receives financial assistance from the Department of Justice, the review was also conducted under the authority of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, and the Department's implementing regulation, 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart G.

As part of its compliance review, the Department reviewed the following facilities, which – because construction or alterations commenced after January 26, 1992 – must comply with the ADA's new construction or alterations requirements: Mayville Municipal Building, Gerace Office Building, Courthouse, Chautauqua County Home, Hall R. Clothier Building, County Social Services, South County Office Building and the Chautauqua County Jail.

The Department's program access review covered those of Chautauqua County's programs, services, and activities that operate in the following facilities: Luensman Overview Park, Abe Mattison Millrace Park, and the Erlandson Overview Park.

The Department conducted a program access review of the following polling places: Frewsburg Central School, Carroll Town Hall, Busti Fire Hall, Harmony Town Highway Department, Panama Fire Hall, French Creek Highway Building, Ripley Town Hall and Community Park, Westfield Eason Auditorium, Lakeshore Community Chapel, 1st United Methodist Church, Laona United Methodist Church, Lily Dale Lyceum, Seymour Library, Kennedy Volunteer Fire Hall, Maple Springs Fire Hall, Gerry Town Hall, Gerry Fire Hall, Charlotte Highway Building, Arkwright Town Hall, Villenova Town Hall, Cherry Creek Town Hall, Ellington Town Hall, Sherman Fire Hall, Clymer Community Building, Mayville Zoning Office, North Harmony Community Building, and the Portland Town Hall. This review was limited to the areas of the facilities used by the voting public: parking, the route from the parking area to the area used for voting, and the area used for voting.

The Department reviewed Chautauqua County's policies and procedures regarding voting, emergency management and disaster prevention, and sidewalk maintenance to evaluate whether persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to utilize these programs.

Finally, the Department reviewed the Chautauqua County Sheriff Department's policies and procedures regarding providing effective communication to persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

JURISDICTION

  1. The ADA applies to Chautauqua County because it is a "public entity" as defined by title II. 42 U.S.C. § 12131(1).
  2. The Department is authorized under 28 C.F.R. Part 35, Subpart F, to determine the compliance of Chautauqua County with title II of the ADA and the Department's title II implementing regulation, to issue findings, and, where appropriate, to negotiate and secure voluntary compliance agreements. Furthermore, the Attorney General is authorized, under 42 U.S.C. § 12133, to bring a civil action enforcing title II of the ADA should the Department fail to secure voluntary compliance pursuant to Subpart F.
  3. The Department is authorized under 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart G, to determine the County's compliance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to issue findings, and, where appropriate, to negotiate and secure voluntary compliance agreements. Furthermore, the Attorney General is authorized, under 29 U.S.C. § 794 and 28 C.F.R. §§ 42.530 and 42.108-110, to suspend or terminate financial assistance to Chautauqua County provided by the Department of Justice should the Department fail to secure voluntary compliance pursuant to Subpart G or to bring a civil suit to enforce the rights of the United States under applicable federal, state, or local law.
  4. The parties to this Agreement are the United States of America and Chautauqua County.
  5. In order to avoid the burdens and expenses of an investigation and possible litigation, the parties enter into this Agreement.
  6. In consideration of, and consistent with, the terms of this Agreement, the Attorney General agrees to refrain from filing a civil suit in this matter regarding all matters contained within this Agreement, except as provided in the section entitled "Implementation and Enforcement."
  7. ACTIONS TAKEN BY CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

  8. The County entered into two significant capital projects to improve and update several County facilities – the court facilities at 2 Academy Street and the old Courthouse in Mayville; the Gerace Office Building in Mayville; and the Chautauqua County Jail in Mayville.
  9. Subsequent to the Department's on-site visit, Chautauqua County has contacted the general contractors to apprise them of the deficiencies that have been noted throughout the inspection process. Chautauqua County has already begun implementing many of the changes referenced in this agreement.
  10. Board of Elections Commissioners Norman Green and Brian Abram have notified building owners of the deficiencies found by the Department, and work is continuing in this regard with the preparation and submission of a poll site grant expenditure.
  11. Chautauqua County has a designated ADA Coordinator and established grievance procedure.
  12. REMEDIAL ACTION

    NOTIFICATION

  13. Within two months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will adopt the attached Notice (Attachment A); distribute it to all agency heads; publish the Notice in a local newspaper of general circulation serving Chautauqua County; post the Notice in an accessible format (e.g., HTML) on its Internet Home Page; and post copies in conspicuous locations in its public buildings. It will refresh the posted copies, and update the contact information contained on the Notice, as necessary, for the life of this Agreement. Copies will also be provided to any person upon request.
  14. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, and on yearly anniversaries of this Agreement until it expires, Chautauqua County will implement and report to the Department its written procedures for providing information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence and location of the County'saccessible programs, services, and activities.
  15. GENERAL EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION PROVISIONS

  16. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will identify sources of qualified sign language and oral interpreters, real-time transcription services, and vendors that can put documents in Braille, and will implement and report to the Department its written procedures, with time frames, for fulfilling requests from the public for sign language or oral interpreters, real-time transcription services, and documents in alternate formats (Braille, large print, cassette tapes, accessible electronic format such as HTML, etc.).
  17. Chautauqua County will take steps to ensure that all appropriate employees are trained and practiced in using the New York State Relay to make and receive calls.
  18. 9-1-1

  19. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will ensure that each 9-1-1 call station is equipped with a TTY or computer equivalent.
  20. Chautauqua County will monitor its incoming 9-1-1 TTY calls to ensure they are answered as quickly and accurately as other calls received.
  21. Chautauqua County will incorporate correct TTY call-taking procedures into 9-1-1 call takers' training curriculum and will update its policies to include written procedures that the County will take if call takers fail to perform TTY call-taking consistent with the training and procedures. Chautauqua County will implement and report to the Department its evaluation and procedures within three months of the effective date of this Agreement.
  22. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

  23. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will adapt for its own use and implement theChautauqua County Sheriff Department's Policy Statement on Effective Communication with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing [Attachment C] and distribute to allsheriff department officers the Guide for Law Enforcement Officers When in Contact with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing [Attachment D].
  24. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will contract with one or more local qualified oral/sign language interpreter agencies to ensure that the interpreting services will be available on a priority basis, twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week, to its sheriff department or make other appropriate arrangements (such as contracting directly with or hiring qualified interpreters).
  25. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will ensure that the sheriff's office and the jail are each equipped with working TTY's to enable persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have speech impairments to make outgoing telephone calls. Where inmate telephone calls are time-limited, Chautauqua County will adopt policies permitting inmates who use TTY's a longer period of time to make those calls, due to the slower nature of TTY communications compared with voice communications.
  26. EMPLOYMENT

  27. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will amend its employment policies, as necessary, to comply with the provisions of the ADA, as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and the regulations of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission implementing title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, codified at 29 C.F.R. Part 1630. At minimum, those policies will provide that Chautauqua County:
  28. Some of Chautauqua County's polling places may be owned or operated by other public entities subject to title II or by public accommodations subject to title III and, as such, would be subject to the obligation to provide program access or to remove barriers to accessibility under the ADA. This Agreement does not limit future enforcement action against the owners or operators of these polling places by any person or entity, including the Department.
  29. Before designating any site as a new polling place, Chautauqua County will survey the site using the survey instrument at Exhibit F to determine whether the site contains barriers to access by people with disabilities in the parking, exterior route to the entrance, entrance, interior route to the voting area, or voting area. Chautauqua County will not designate any such site as a polling place until all such barriers have been removed.
  30. The Department surveyed certain ofChautauqua County's polling places. Barriers to access at such polling places owned by Chautauqua County and the dates by which the County will remove barriers are noted in Attachments I, J, and K.
  31. Barriers to access at the polling places not owned by the County which were surveyed by the Department are noted in Attachment E. Within one month of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will request in writing that each of the owners and operators of the polling places listed in Attachment E remove the noted barriers to access for persons with disabilities within one year of the effective date of this Agreement. The County will provide a copy of the Department's ADA Checklist for Polling Places (www.ada.gov/votingck.htm) with the written request.
  32. Within twelve months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will survey all facilities listed in Attachment E to determine whether the barriers noted have been removed. If not, for each polling place that still contains inaccessible parking, exterior route to the entrance, entrance, interior route to the voting area, or voting area, the County will identify within 18 months of the effective date of this Agreement an alternate location where these elements are accessible. That identification will utilize the survey instrument that appears as Attachment F to this Agreement. The County will then take immediate steps to change its polling place to the new location. Under this provision of the Agreement, the County will ensure that barriers at each polling place identified in Attachment E are either removed or a substitute accessible polling place is in operation before the next election occurring more than twenty-four months after the effective date of this Agreement.
  33. Within twelve months of the effective date of this Agreement, using the survey instrument at Attachment F, the County will survey all polling places not surveyed by the Department to identify barriers to access by people with disabilities in the parking, exterior route to the entrance, entrance, interior route to the voting area, and voting area. Within twenty-four months of the effective date of this Agreement, for each such polling place, the County will then either (1) ensure that all barriers to access by people with disabilities have been removed or (2) identify an alternate polling place with no barriers to access by people with disabilities. That identification of accessible polling places will utilize the survey instrument that appears as Attachment F to this Agreement. The County will then take immediate steps to change each new inaccessible polling place to a new accessible location. Under this provision of the Agreement, the County will ensure that barriers at each polling place the Department did not survey are either removed or a substitute accessible polling place is in operation before the next election occurring more than twenty-four months after the effective date of this Agreement.
  34. Until all polling places in each precinct or voting district have accessible parking, exterior routes, entrances, interior routes to the voting area, and voting area, prior to each election, the County will identify and widely publicize to the public and to persons with disabilities and organizations serving them the most accessible polling place(s) for each precinct or voting district.
  35. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will provide opportunities for same-day balloting for voters with disabilities whose assigned polling place does not have accessible parking, exterior route to entrance, entrance, interior route to the voting area, and voting area. The method for providing these opportunities may include allowing the individual to vote at another nearby location that is accessible, allowing individuals with disabilities to vote by an absentee ballot that is accepted if postmarked on the day of the election (or picked up by election officials at the home of the voter on the same day as the election), providing curbside voting at the inaccessible polling place, or any other method that ensures that voters with disabilities have the same degree of information available to them when casting their ballots as others. If curbside assistance is provided and a polling place official is not stationed outside to provide assistance to people with disabilities in curbside voting, it must include a reliable, effective mechanism by which individuals with disabilities can summon election officials to provide curbside assistance without leaving their vehicles and ensure prompt response and assistance with curbside voting from polling officials.
  36. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will survey its voter registration locations for accessibility to persons with disabilities by using the form provided at Attachment F and will report the results of this survey to the Department. If barriers to access are identified, the County will implement and report to the Department its plan to provide program access, which may include allowing persons to register to vote through alternative means or at alternative locations.
  37. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will make all voter registration materials available in alternate formats, including Braille, large print, audio tape, and accessible electronic format such as HTML.
  38. Within the month prior to the next election that utilizes the County's polling places, and at yearly anniversaries of the effective date of this Agreement until it expires, theCounty will train poll workers on the rights of people with disabilities and the practical aspects of assuring those rights. The training will cover, at minimum, the need to maintain the physical accessibility of polling locations; how to assist people with disabilities, as necessary; and how to set up and operate any non-standard voting equipment or accessible features of standard equipment (particularly new, accessible equipment).
  39. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES AND POLICIES

  40. The Department will work collaboratively with the County to ensure that the County's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) will be in compliance with ADA requirements. The touchstone for compliance with ADA requirements relating to emergency management is Chapter 7 of the Department's ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Government (ADA Tool Kit), which addresses in detail key ADA obligations that apply to all aspects of emergency management, including planning, preparedness, evacuation, shelters, medical and social services, lodging and housing programs, recovery, and rebuilding.
  41. The County is committed to compliance with the ADA requirements as described in Chapter 7 of the ADA Tool Kit. Within 60 days of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will revise its EOP so that it conforms with Chapter 7 of the ADA Tool Kit, and the County will provide a copy of its revised EOP (including supporting documents) to the Department. The Department will review the revised EOP to ensure compliance with title II of the ADA and its implementing regulation.
  42. If the County contracts with another entity, such as the American Red Cross or another local government, to provide its emergency preparedness plans and emergency response services, the County will ensure that the other entity complies with the following provisions on its behalf.
  43. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that it regularly solicits and incorporates input from persons with a variety of disabilities and those who serve them regarding all phases of its Emergency Operations Plan (e.g., preparation, notification, response, evacuation, sheltering, and clean up).
  44. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that its community evacuation plans enable those who have mobility impairments, vision impairments, hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities, mental illness, or other disabilities to safely self-evacuate or be evacuated by others. Some communities are instituting voluntary, confidential registries of persons with disabilities who may need individualized evacuation assistance or notification. If the County adopts or maintains such a registry, its report to the Department will discuss its procedures for ensuring voluntariness, appropriate confidentiality controls, and how the registry will be kept updated, as well as its outreach plan to inform persons with disabilities of its availability. Whether or not a registry is used, the County plan should address accessible transportation needs for persons with disabilities.
  45. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that if its emergency warning systems use sirens or other audible alerts, it will also provide ways to inform persons with hearing impairments of an impending disaster. The use of auto-dialed TTY messages to pre-registered individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, text messaging, e-mails, open-captioning on local TV stations and other innovative uses of technology may be incorporated into such procedures, as well as lower-tech options such as dispatching qualified sign language interpreters to assist with emergency TV broadcasts.
  46. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that each of its emergency shelters has a back-up generator and a way to keep medications refrigerated (such as a refrigerator or a cooler with ice). Such shelters will be made available to persons whose disabilities require access to electricity and refrigeration, for example, for using life-sustaining medical devices, providing power to motorized wheelchairs, and preserving certain medications, such as insulin, that require refrigeration. The written procedures will include a plan for notifying persons of the location of such shelter(s).
  47. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that persons who use service animals are not separated from their service animals when sheltering during an emergency, even if pets are normally prohibited in shelters. The procedures will not segregate persons who use service animals from others but may take into account the potential presence of persons who, for safety or health reasons, should not be in contact with certain types of animals.
  48. Within fourteen months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will survey the shelters listed in Attachment G to determine whether the noted barriers have been removed. If not all barriers have been removed, the County will identify within 18 months of the effective date of this Agreement an appropriate number of alternate shelters where the parking, exterior routes, entrances, interior routes to the shelter area, and toilet rooms to the shelter area comply with the Standards.
  49. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement and until all emergency shelters have accessible parking, exterior routes, entrances, interior routes to the shelter area, and toilet rooms and bathing facilities serving the shelter area, the County will identify and widely publicize to the public and to persons with disabilities and the organizations that serve them the most accessible emergency shelters.
  50. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will develop, implement, and report to the Department its plans for providing opportunities for accessible post-emergency temporary housing to persons with disabilities. Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will ensure that information it makes available regarding temporary housing includes information on accessible housing (such as accessible hotel rooms within the community or in nearby communities) that could be used if people with disabilities cannot immediately return home after a disaster if, for instance, necessary accessible features such as ramps or electrical systems have been compromised.
  51. SIDEWALKS

  52. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will implement and report to the Department its written process for soliciting and receiving input from persons with disabilities regarding the accessibility of its sidewalks, including, for example, requests to add curb cuts at particular locations.
  53. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will identify and report to the Department all streets, roads, and highways that have been constructed or altered since January 26, 1992. Paving, repaving, or resurfacing a street, road, or highway is considered an alteration for the purposes of this Agreement. Filling a pothole is not considered an alteration for the purposes of this Agreement. Within three years of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua Countywill provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at all intersections of the streets, roads, and highways identified under this paragraph having curbs or other barriers to entry from a street level pedestrian walkway.
  54. Beginning no later than three months after the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at any intersection having curbs or other barriers to entry from a street level pedestrian walkway, whenever a new street, road, or highway is constructed or altered.
  55. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will identify all street level pedestrian walkways that have been constructed or altered since January 26, 1992. Paving, repaving, or resurfacing a walkway is considered an alteration for the purposes of this Agreement. Within three years of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at all places where a street level pedestrian walkway identified under this paragraph intersects with a street, road, or highway.
  56. Beginning no later than three months after the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at all newly constructed or altered pedestrian walkways where they intersect a street, road, or highway.
  57. WEB-BASED SERVICES AND PROGRAMS

  58. Within one month of the effective date of this Agreement, and on subsequent anniversaries of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will distribute to all persons – employees and contractors – who design, develop, maintain, or otherwise have responsibility for content and format of its website(s) or third party websites used by the County (Internet Personnel) the technical assistance document, "Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities," which is Attachment H to this Agreement (it is also available at www.ada.gov/websites2.htm).
  59. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, and throughout the life of the Agreement, Chautauqua County will do the following:
    1. Establish, implement, and post online a policy that its web pages will be accessible and create a process for implementation;
    2. Ensure that all new and modified web pages and content are accessible;
    3. Develop and implement a plan for making existing web content more accessible;
    4. Provide a way for online visitors to request accessible information or services by posting a telephone number or e-mail address on its home page; and
    5. Periodically (at least annually) enlist people with disabilities to test its pages for ease of use.

      NEW CONSTRUCTION, ALTERATIONS AND PHYSICAL CHANGES TO FACILITIES

  60. Chautauqua County will ensure that all buildings and facilities constructed by or on behalf of the County are constructed in full compliance with the requirements of 28 C.F. R. § 35.151, including applicable architectural standards.
  61. Chautauqua County will ensure that alterations to County facilities are made in full compliance with the requirements of 28 C.F.R. § 35.151, including applicable architectural standards.
  62. The elements or features of Chautauqua County's facilities that do not comply with the Standards, including those listed in Attachments I, J, K, and L, prevent persons with disabilities from fully and equally enjoying Chautauqua County's services, programs, or activities and constitute discrimination on the basis of disability within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 12132 and 28 C.F.R. §§ 35.149 and 35.150.
  63. Chautauqua County will comply with the cited provisions of the Standards when taking the actions required by this Agreement.
  64. Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will install signage as necessary to comply with 28 C.F.R. § 35.163(b), after having surveyed all facilities that are the subject of this Agreement for the purpose of identifying those that have multiple entrances not all of which are accessible.
  65. Newly Constructed Facilities: In order to ensure that the following spaces and elements in Chautauqua County facilities for which construction was commenced after January 26, 1992, are readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities, Chautauqua County will take the actions listed in Attachments I and M.
  66. Altered Facilities: In order to ensure that the following spaces and elements in Chautauqua County facilities for which alterations commenced after January 26, 1992, are readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities, Chautauqua County will take the actions listed in Attachments J and M.
  67. Program Access in County Existing Facilities: In order to ensure that each of Chautauqua County's programs, services, and activities operating at a facility that is the subject of this Agreement, when viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to and usable by persons with mobility impairments, Chautauqua County will take the actions listed in Attachment K and M.
  68. Facilities and Programs Not Surveyed by the Department: Chautauqua County will review compliance with the requirements of Title II of the ADA for those County facilities and programs that were not reviewed by the Department. Within 12 months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will submit for review by the Department a detailed report listing the access issues identified during its review together with the corrective actions and completion dates proposed to resolve such issues. The review conducted by Chautauqua County, the access issues identified, and the corrective actions and completion dates proposed will be consistent with the requirements of Title II of the ADA; the review of County facilities and programs conducted by the Department for purposes of this Agreement; and the access issues, corrective actions, and completion dates reflected in Attachments I, J, K, L, and M.
  69. PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS

  70. Access to County Programs Housed in Others' Facilities: In order to ensure that Chautauqua County's programs, services, and activities that are the subject of this Agreement and that are operated by the County at facilities owned or controlled by other entities, when viewed in their entirety, are readily accessible to and usable by persons with mobility impairments, the County will take the actions listed in Attachment L and M.
  71. PROGRAMS FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ABUSE

  72. If Chautauqua County owns or operates any Domestic Violence Programs, within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, it will do the following:
    1. Whatever written information is provided regarding its Domestic Violence Programs will also be provided in alternate formats, including Braille, large print, audio recording, and electronic formats, upon request.
    2. Enter into contracts or make other arrangements with qualified sign language and oral interpreters to ensure their availability when required for effective communication with persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The type of aid that will be required for effective communication will depend on the individual's usual method of communication, and the nature, importance, and duration of the communication at issue. In many circumstances, oral communication supplemented by gestures and visual aids, an exchange of written notes, use of a computer or typewriter, or use of an assistive listening device may be effective. In other circumstances, qualified sign language or oral interpreters are needed to communicate effectively with persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The more lengthy, complex, and important the communication, the more likely it is that a qualified interpreter will be required for effective communication with a person whose primary means of communication is sign language or speech reading.
    3. If the Chautauqua County's Domestic Violence Programs operate a hotline to take telephone calls of an emergency nature, the County shall ensure that it provides equivalent service for persons who use TTY's, including providing direct-connection service for TTY users with hotline operators, without requiring TTY users to call through a third party operator, such as through the state or local Telecommunication Relay Services. The County will obtain the necessary equipment, establish the written procedures, and provide the training necessary to ensure effective communication by Hotline staff with direct-connection callers using TTY's, as well as the training necessary to respond to callers who use the Telecommunication Relay Services.
    4. Survey facilities used as shelters or designated as potential shelters – or for counseling, job training, education, clothing or household provisioning, or other aspects of Domestic Violence Programs – to ensure that adequate arrangements are available for potential clients and family members with disabilities, including adults and children who have mobility impairments, who are blind or have low vision, and who are deaf or hard of hearing. Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, modify each such facility to remove the barriers or, alternatively, procure another, fully accessible facility to ensure that potential clients and family members with disabilities have integrated options when participating in a sheltering or other Domestic Violence program. Nothing in this Agreement requires any modifications that would compromise the confidentiality of a shelter or counseling center. Until there is a sufficient stock of accessible housing and other facilities within the sheltering program, Chautauqua County will implement written procedures ensuring that it has identified temporary accessible housing (such as accessible hotel rooms within the community or in nearby communities) and other facilities that could be used if people with disabilities need sheltering or in-service access to a Domestic Violence Program. The cost to potential clients of being housed or otherwise served in alternate accessible facilities shall not exceed any costs normally attributed to clients of Chautauqua County's Domestic Violence Programs.
    5. Implement written procedures and modify, as appropriate, eligibility criteria, to ensure that no person with a disability is turned away from a shelter or otherwise denied the opportunity to benefit from the services of the County's Domestic Violence Programs on the basis of disability.
    6. Implement written procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities who use service animals are not denied or discouraged from participating in Domestic Violence Programs, are able to be housed and served in an integrated environment, and are not separated from their service animals while participating in the County's Domestic Violence Programs even if pets are normally not permitted in the facilities where such programs are conducted. The procedures will not unnecessarily segregate persons who use service animals from others but may take into account the potential presence of persons who, for safety or health reasons, should not be in contact with certain types of animals. If the County's Domestic Violence Programs require clients to make any payments for shelter or other services they provide, clients shall not be required to make additional payments because they or their family members use service animals.
    7. Implement written procedures to ensure that reasonable modifications are made to Chautauqua County's Domestic Violence Programs when necessary for a client or family member with a disability to participate in such Programs, unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the program.
    8. Implement written policies to ensure that despite any "drug-free" policy of Chautauqua County's Domestic Violence Programs, persons with disabilities who use medication prescribed for their use are able to continue using such medication while participating in such Programs or being housed in a shelter.
  73. If the County contracts with another entity to provide or operate programs that provide shelter, counseling, or other assistance or supportive services to victims of domestic violence or abuse and their families (hereafter referred to as "Domestic Violence Programs"), it will ensure that the other entity complies with the preceding provisions on its behalf. If that entity will not comply with the following provisions, the County will nonetheless take all necessary steps to ensure that its program is accessible to persons with disabilities.
  74. Some of the of the County's shelters may be owned or operated by other public entities subject to title II or by public accommodations subject to title III and, as such, are subject to the obligation to provide program access or remove barriers to accessibility under the ADA. This Agreement does not limit such future enforcement action against the owners or operators of these facilities by any person or entity, including the Department.
  75. This Agreement shall not be construed to require the County to divulge confidential information relating to the location or existence of any Domestic Violence Programs, beyond what is otherwise required by applicable law or what is necessary for the Department to effectively enforce this Agreement.
  76. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

  77. The Chautauqua County Jail has no accessible vehicles for the safe transportation of detainees and inmates with mobility disabilities, including inmates who use wheelchairs. Detainees and inmates who use wheelchairs are currently carried and lifted into inaccessible vehicles. Carrying an individual with a disability is an unacceptable method for providing program accessibility for detainees and inmates with mobility disabilities. Within 90 days of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will provide a wheelchair accessible vehicle for the transportation of people with mobility disabilities, including people who use wheelchairs. Within 90 days of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will submit for review by the Department proposed written procedures to ensure the safe transportation of people with disabilities, including but not limited to the transportation of people who use wheelchairs, including the use of appropriate equipment to secure and stabilize wheelchairs during transit. Within fifteen days of receiving comments from the Department, the County will revise its proposed procedures consistent with the Department's comments, implement the revised procedures, and train all staff responsible for transporting arrestees and inmates regarding the revised procedures. 28 C.F.R. § 35.149.
  78. Except as otherwise specified in this Agreement, at yearly anniversaries of the effective date of this Agreement until it expires, Chautauqua County will submit written reports to the Department summarizing the actions Chautauqua County has taken pursuant to this Agreement. Reports will include detailed photographs showing measurements, architectural plans, work orders, notices published in the newspaper, copies of adopted policies, and proof of efforts to secure funding/assistance for structural renovations or equipment.
  79. Throughout the life of this Agreement, consistent with 28 C.F.R. § 35.133(a), Chautauqua County will maintain the accessibility of its programs, activities, services, facilities, and equipment, and will take whatever actions are necessary (such as routine testing of accessibility equipment and routine accessibility audits of its programs and facilities) to do so. This provision does not prohibit isolated or temporary interruptions in service or access due to maintenance or repairs. 28 C.F.R. § 35.133(b).
  80. Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement,Chautauqua County will develop or procure a two-hour training program on the requirements of the ADA and appropriate ways of serving persons with disabilities. Chautauqua County will use the ADA technical assistance materials developed by the Department and will consult with interested persons, including individuals with disabilities, in developing or procuring the ADA training program.
  81. Within eighteen months of the effective date of this Agreement, Chautauqua County will deliver its training program to all County employees who have direct contact with members of the public. At the end of that period, Chautauqua County will submit a copy of its training curriculum and materials to the Department, along with a list of employees trained and the name, title, and address of the trainer.
  82. IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT

  83. If at any time Chautauqua County desires to modify any portion of this Agreement because of changed conditions making performance impossible or impractical or for any other reason, it will promptly notify the Department in writing, setting forth the facts and circumstances thought to justify modification and the substance of the proposed modification. Until there is written Agreement by the Department to the proposed modification, the proposed modification will not take effect. These actions must receive the prior written approval of the Department, which approval will not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
  84. The Department may review compliance with this Agreement at any time. If the Department believes that Chautauqua County has failed to comply in a timely manner with any requirement of this Agreement without obtaining sufficient advance written agreement with the Department for a modification of the relevant terms, the Department will so notify Chautauqua County in writing and it will attempt to resolve the issue or issues in good faith. If the Department is unable to reach a satisfactory resolution of the issue or issues raised within 30 days of the date it provides notice to Chautauqua County, it may institute a civil action in federal district court to enforce the terms of this Agreement, or it may initiate appropriate steps to enforce title II and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
  85. For purposes of the immediately preceding paragraph, Chautauqua County must not fail to comply in a timely manner with any of its requirements without obtaining sufficient advance written agreement with the Department for an extension of the relevant time frame imposed by the Agreement.
  86. Failure by the Department to enforce this entire Agreement or any provision thereof with regard to any deadline or any other provision herein will not be construed as a waiver of the Department's right to enforce other deadlines and provisions of this Agreement.
  87. This Agreement is a public document. A copy of this document or any information contained in it will be made available to any person by Chautauqua County or the Department on request.
  88. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties on the matters raised herein, and no other statement, promise, or agreement, either written or oral, made by either party or agents of either party, that is not contained in this written Agreement (including its Attachments, which are hereby incorporated by reference), will be enforceable. This Agreement does not purport to remedy any other potential violations of the ADA or any other federal law. This Agreement does not affect Chautauqua County's continuing responsibility to comply with all aspects of the ADA and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
  89. This Agreement will remain in effect for three years.
  90. The person signing for Chautauqua County represents that he or she is authorized to bind Chautauqua County to this Agreement.
  91. The effective date of this Agreement is the date of the last signature below.

 

For Chautauqua County:

GREGORY J. EDWARDS
County Executive

By: ____________________________
GREGORY J. EDWARDS
County Executive
Chautauqua County
Gerace Office Building
3 North Erie Street
Mayville, New York 14757

 

For the United States:

LORETTA KING
Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights

By:_________________________________
JOHN L. WODATCH, Chief
JEANINE WORDEN, Deputy Chief
DOV LUTZKER, Special Counsel
NAOMI MILTON, Supervisory Attorney
REGINA MORGAN, Investigator
GAIL AUSTIN, Architect
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Disability Rights Section - NYA
Washington, DC 20530

 

Date: ________________________ Date:          August 4, 2009         

 


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September 27, 2010