Americans with Disability Act
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the County will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in the County’s 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 the County’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 & 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 County’s Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator as soon as possible, but not later than 48 hours before the scheduled event. If you believe that a County program, service, or activity is not accessible to persons with disabilities, please direct your complaint to Lydia Williams, ADA Coordinator, at (301) 265-8450/Maryland Relay 711.
County Responsibilities
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.
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.