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

• Employment: HCD 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 II of the ADA.
• Effective Communication: HCD will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in HCD's 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: HCD 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.

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 HCD, should contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Office as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event. The ADA does not require the HCD 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 HCD is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Office or ADA Coordinator.

HCD 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.

ADA Grievance Procedure

This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the ADA. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the HCD. The HCD Director's Policy - Equal Employment Opportunity governs employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.

The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date, and description of the problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or an audio recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

The complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting the ADA Coordinator or designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio recording. The response will explain the position of the HCD and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by the ADA Coordinator or designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the HCD's Chief Deputy Director or designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the HCD's Chief Deputy Director or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the HCD's Chief Deputy Director or designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

All written complaints received by the ADA Coordinator or designee, appeals to the HCD's Chief Deputy Director or designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the HCD for at least three years.

It is the policy of HCD not to discriminate on the basis of disability. HCD has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794). Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. The Law and Regulations may be examined in the office of HCD’s Section 504 Coordinator, who has been designated to coordinate HCD’s efforts to comply with Section 504.

Any person who believes they have been subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability may file a grievance under this procedure. It is against the law for HCD to retaliate against anyone who files a grievance or cooperates in the investigation of a grievance.

Section 504 Grievance Procedure

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of complaint, the 504 Coordinator or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting the 504 Coordinator or designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complaint, such as large print, Braille, or audio recording. The response will explain the position of the HCD and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by the 504 Coordinator or designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the HCD's Chief Deputy Director or designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the HCD's Chief Deputy Director or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the HCD's Chief Deputy Director or designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to t he complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

All written complaints received by the 504 Coordinator or designee, appeals to the HCD's Chief Deputy Director or designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the HCD for at least three years.

HCD will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that disabled persons are provided other accommodations, if needed, to participate in this grievance process. Such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing audio recordings of material for the blind, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings. The Section 504 Coordinator will be responsible for such arrangements.