NOTICE UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

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

Employment: The County 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 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Effective Communication: The County will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in County 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 County will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all County programs, services, and activities.  For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in County 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 County program, service, or activity, should contact the office of Linda H. Dixon, Human Resources Director, Yakima County Human Resources Department, 128 N 2nd Street, Room B-27, Yakima, WA 98901, (509) 574-2215, linda.dixon@co.yakima.wa.us as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the County 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 County program, service, or activity is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Linda H. Dixon.

The County 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.