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

Employment: The City of Bloomington 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 City of Bloomington 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 City of Bloomington’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 City of Bloomington 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 the City of Bloomington 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 City of Bloomington, should contact the office of Michael Hurt, ADA Coordinator by calling (309) 434-2468 or via postal mail at: Office of Diversity & Inclusion Division; ATTN: Michael Hurt, ADA Coordinator;115 E. Washington Street; Bloomington, IL as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the City of Bloomington to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

1992 ADA Compliance Plan
The City of Bloomington’s 1992 ADA Compliance Plan outlines the City’s plans to comply with the provisions of the ADA of 1991 and also fulfills the requirement of developing a Transition Plan for removal of structural barriers in City buildings and facilities, including City parking lots and curb ramps.

1992 ADA Transition Plan

In September 2010, the Department of Justice published revised regulations for Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These regulations adopted revised, enforceable accessibility standards called the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessibility Design or “2010 Standards”. The 2010 Standards set minimum requirements – both scoping and technical – for newly designed and constructed or altered State and local government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities to be readily accessible to and useable by individuals with disabilities.

In response to the changes made by the 2010 Standards and in an effort to assure continued compliance, the City is preparing to update its ADA self-evaluation and transition plan. This update will evaluate the City’s compliance in terms of best practices and standards.

DRAFT ADA Transition Plan Update 

Title II ADA Grievance Procedure 
Title II prohibits disability discrimination by all public entities at the local (i.e. school district, municipal, city, county) and state levels, including public transportation. Under Title II of the ADA, “no otherwise qualified disabled individual shall, solely, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination” in programs, activities, or services sponsored by the City. The City of Bloomington has a procedure for filing complaints of alleged violations of Title II.

Complaints can be addressed to the City’s ADA coordinator:

TTY
The HUB is equipped with a text telephone (TTY) that may also be reached Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, by dialing (309) 829-5115. In addition, persons using a text telephone have the option of calling via the Illinois Relay Center by dialing 1-800-526-0844 or 711.

ADA Grievance Procedures
The City of Bloomington has a procedure for processing complaints of alleged violations of Title II of the American with Disabilities Act. Title II states, in part, that “no otherwise qualified disabled individual shall, solely, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination” in programs or activities sponsored by the City.

Below is the complaint procedure:

Contact the ADA Coordinator the Discrimination Complaint Form above or by calling Michael Hurt, ADA Coordinator at 309-434-2468 or emailing at mhurt@cityblm.org.

• If possible, a complaint should be filed within fourteen (14) business days after the individual becomes aware of the alleged violation. In City employment matters, applicable grievance procedures will be followed.

The City of Bloomington complies with the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act in its facilities, activities, programs and services. Upon request, the City can provide auxiliary aids and services to persons with disabilities at no charge.