American Disability Act: Grievance Procedure
- A grievance is a written method for making a complaint.
- If you think you have been discriminated against in an adult literacy program because of your disability, you may:
1. Clear up your complaint by talking with the people involved;
2. File a formal grievance with the program; and/or
3. File your complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights.
- A program cannot treat you differently or retaliate against you for filing a complaint. If you feel that the program is treating you differently or treating you badly because you have filed a complaint, report it to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights immediately.
The material above is part of the document available on the web for printing at: http://das.kucrl.org/iam.html. The document was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, (Cooperative Agreement No. H324M980109).
- A data gathering process shall follow the filing of a complaint where all interested persons and /or their representatives, if any, have an opportunity to submit information relevant to the complaint.
- Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES and offer options to substantive resolution of thecomplaint.
- This process shall be conducted by Joseph Booan or in his absence, any other person designated by the program or agency director.
- If the response by Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES or its designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the District Superintendent.
- The above process and time limits for handling a complaint, i.e. meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions, information gathering and providing a written or appropriate alternative format response with a final resolution of the complaint shall occur at the next higher level of review.
- The Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES shall maintain the files and records of all written complaints sent to he program and appeals to other offices. These records will be retained for at least three years.
- A program cannot treat you differently or retaliate against you for filing a complaint. If you feel that the program is treating you differently or treating you badly because you have filed a complaint, report it to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights immediately.
- Complaints to the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights must be filed within 180 days of discrimination or within 60 days after the program/agency has provided communication to you regarding resolution of your complaint.
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Civil Rights
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202-1100
1-800-421-3481
Web: http://www.ed.gov/ocr
E-mail: [email protected]
- To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) you should submit in writing the following information:
- Your name, address, and phone number.
- The name and location of the program that you believe discriminated against you.
- A detailed description of what happened and when it happened.
- The reason for the violation of the ADA that is, you are a person with a disability.
- Make sure enough details are provided for the Office of Civil Rights to know what happened.
The above document represents a synthesis of information from the following web sites: Department of Justice, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, www.ada.gov/reg2; Department of Justice, ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments, http://www.ada.gov/ppcatoolkit. Acknowledgement is also given to the Arkansas Adult Education and Literacy, Policy & Procedure Manual for Serving Students with Learning Disabilities and /or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, http://aalrc.org/resources/ld/policyManual/index.aspx.