Filing an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint

In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the City of Vancouver will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

This complaint process is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). If you feel you or another member of the public have been denied access to a City facility, meeting, event, program, service, or activity as a result of your disability, or if you feel you have been discriminated against because of a disability, send your complaint to the City’s ADA Coordinator as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation:

Jen Dugger Spalding
ADA Coordinator
City of Vancouver
415 W 6^th Street
Vancouver, WA 98660
360-726-7122
ADACoordinator@CityOfVancouver.us

All complaints should include

• Your full name, address, email, and telephone number (if any);
• The full name of the person who was discriminated against (if someone other than yourself).
• The name and address of the program, service, activity, or facility where there is/was a concern.
• A description of the concern (including any relevant date(s) and/or name(s) of any City employees involved (if known).
• Other information that you believe necessary to support your complaint. Please send us copies of any relevant documents but keep the originals for your own records.

Complaint resolution procedure

All complaints must be in writing, containing the name and address of the person filing them. The complaint must state the problem or action alleged to be discriminatory and the remedy or relief sought. The ADA Coordinator (or designee) will investigate the complaint. This investigation may be informal, but it must be thorough, affording all interested people an opportunity to submit evidence relevant to the complaint.

• Within 15 business days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator (or designee) may meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint. 
• Within 15 business 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 file. The response will explain the position of the City and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
• In more complex cases, the ADA Coordinator (or designee) may ask for more time to interview witnesses or investigate further.
• If the response of the ADA Coordinator (or designee) does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant may appeal the decision within 15 business days after receipt of the response to the Director of the Engagement and Access Department. Within 15 business days after receipt of the appeal, the Director of the Engagement and Access Department or their designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. 
• Within 15 business days after the meeting, the Director of the Engagement and Access Department or their designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

In the case where the complaint implicates the ADA Coordinator as contributing to the accessibility barrier or discrimination they have experienced, the complaint will go directly to the Director of the Engagement and Access Department.

Additional information about filing all Complaints

• In the case where the complaint implicates the Director of the Engagement and Access Department as contributing to the accessibility barrier or discrimination they have experienced, the complaint will go directly to the Deputy City Manager. Appeals for such complaints would go to the City Manager.
• The City can provide alternative means of filing complaints, conducting investigative meetings, and providing responses to people with disabilities as accommodation upon request. Please include the details of your accommodation request with your complaint.
• All written complaints received by the Director of the Engagement and Access Department or their designee, appeals to the Deputy City Manager, City Manager and/or their designees, and responses from these individuals will be retained by the City of Vancouver for at least three years.
• The availability and use of this complaint process does not prevent a person from filing a complaint of discrimination on the basis of disability with the following:
  • Office for Civil Rights (for Title II complaints only)
  • The U.S. Department of Justice