ADA Notice and Grievance Procedure
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the Borough of Franklin Lakes will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.
Employment: The Borough of Franklin Lakes (“the Borough”) 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 ADA.
Effective Communication: The Borough 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 Borough’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: The Borough 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. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in Borough 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 program, service, or activity of the Borough, should contact the office of the Borough’s ADA Coordinator, John Wittekind (201-891-4000, ext. 1213), as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.
The ADA does not require the Borough 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 the Borough is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the Borough’s ADA Coordinator, John Wittekind (201-891-4000, ext. 1213).
The Borough 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.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
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 a tape 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:
480 DeKorte Drive, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator or his 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 his designee 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 Borough and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
If the response by the ADA Coordinator or his 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 Borough Administrator or his/her designee.
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the Borough Administrator or his/her designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the Borough Administrator or his/her 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 his designee, appeals to the Borough Administrator or his/her designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the Borough for at least three years.