Source: https://www.ada.gov/pearl_co_pca/pearl_co_sa.htm
Timestamp: 2019-01-19 01:14:35
Document Index: 485896674

Matched Legal Cases: ['§12131', 'art 35', '§794', 'art 42', '§35', '§35', '§35', '§35', '§35', '§101', '§35', '§35', '§35', '§12131', 'art 35', '§12133', 'art 42', '§794', '§42', '§35', '§35', '§12132', '§35', '§35', '§35', '§35']

Settlement Agreement between the United States and Pearl River County, Mississippi
DJ 204-41-47
The United States Department of Justice (Department) initiated this matter as a compliance review of Pearl River County, Mississippi (County) under title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§12131-12134, and the Department´s implementing regulation, 28 C.F.R. Part 35. Because Pearl River County receives financial assistance from the Department of Justice, the review was also conducted under the authority of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. §794, and the Department´s implementing regulation, 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart G.
The review was conducted by the Disability Rights Section of the Department´s Civil Rights Division and focused on the County´s compliance with the following title II requirements:
to conduct a self-evaluation of its services, policies, and practices by July 26, 1992, and make modifications necessary to comply with the Department´s title II regulation, 28 C.F.R. §35.105;
to notify applicants, participants, beneficiaries, and other interested persons of their rights and the County´s obligations under title II and the Department´s regulation, 28 C.F.R. §35.106;
to designate a responsible employee to coordinate its efforts to comply with and carry out the County´s ADA responsibilities, 28 C.F.R. §35.107(a);
to operate each program, service, or activity so that, when viewed in its entirety, it is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, 28 C.F.R. §§35.149 - 35.150, by:
physical changes to buildings (required to have been made by January 26, 1995), in accordance with the Department´s title II regulation, 28 C.F.R. §§35.150 and 35.151, and the ADA Standards for Accessible Design (Standards), 28 C.F.R. pt. 36, App. A, or the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), 41 C.F.R. §101-19.6, App. A.
to ensure that facilities for which construction or alteration was begun after January 26, 1992, are readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities, in accordance with 1) the Department´s title II regulation and 2) the Standards or UFAS, 28 C.F.R. §35.151;
to provide direct access via TTY (text telephone) or computer-to-telephone emergency services, including 9‑1‑1 services, for persons who use TTYs and computer modems, 28 C.F.R. §35.162;
to provide information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence and location of the County´s accessible services, activities, and facilities, 28 C.F.R. §35.163(a); and
As part of its compliance review, the Department reviewed the following facilities, which B because construction or alterations commenced after January 26, 1992 B must comply with the ADA´s new construction or alterations requirements:
Pearl River County Justice Center
Motor Vehicle and Tax Collections Office
The Department´s program access review covered those of the County´s programs, services, and activities that operate in the following facilities:
Pearl River County Court Facilities
Nicholson Volunteer Fire Department Station 1
Derby-Whitesand Volunteer Fire Department
Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department Station 1
Northeast Volunteer Fire Department Station 1
Carriere Volunteer Fire Department Station 1
Carriere Volunteer Fire Department Station 3
Steep Hollow Volunteer Fire Department Station 2
Steep Hollow Volunteer Fire Department Station 3
Northeast Central Volunteer Fire Department Station 2
Poplarville Middle School
Amackertown Volunteer Fire Department Station 2
Picayune Fire Department Station 1
Pearl River County Administration Office Building
Concession Stand Polling Place
Mississippi State University Experiment Station
The Department reviewed the County´s policies and procedures regarding voting, emergency management and disaster prevention, and sidewalk maintenance to evaluate whether persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to utilize these programs.
Finally, the Department reviewed the County´s Sheriff´s Department´s policies and procedures regarding providing effective communication to persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
The ADA applies to the County because it is a "public entity" as defined by title II. 42 U.S.C. §12131(1).
The Department is authorized under 28 C.F.R. Part 35, Subpart F, to determine the compliance of the County with title II of the ADA and the Department's title II implementing regulation, to issue findings, and, where appropriate, to negotiate and secure voluntary compliance agreements. Furthermore, the Attorney General is authorized, under 42 U.S.C. §12133, to bring a civil action enforcing title II of the ADA should the Department fail to secure voluntary compliance pursuant to Subpart F.
The Department is authorized under 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart G, to determine the County´s compliance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to issue findings, and, where appropriate, to negotiate and secure voluntary compliance agreements. Furthermore, the Attorney General is authorized, under 29 U.S.C. §794 and 28 C.F.R. §§42.530 and 42.108-110, to suspend or terminate financial assistance to the County provided by the Department of Justice should the Department fail to secure voluntary compliance pursuant to Subpart G or to bring a civil suit to enforce the rights of the United States under applicable federal, state, or local law.
The parties to this Agreement are the United States of America and Pearl River County, Mississippi.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, and on yearly anniversaries of this Agreement until it expires, the County will implement and report to the Department its written procedures for providing information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence and location of the County´s accessible programs, services, and activities.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will appoint or hire one or more ADA Coordinator(s). The ADA Coordinator(s) will coordinate the County´s effort to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under the ADA, including any investigation of complaints communicated to it alleging its noncompliance with title II or alleging any actions that would be prohibited under title II. The County will make available to all interested individuals the name(s), office address(es), and telephone number(s) of the ADA Coordinator(s).
The County will take steps to ensure that all appropriate employees are trained and practiced in using the MississippiRelay Service to make and receive calls.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will ensure that each 9‑1‑1 call station is equipped with a TTY or computer equivalent.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will develop procedures for answering 9‑1‑1 calls that include training all call takers to use a TTY to take 9‑1‑1 calls, to recognize a "silent" open line as a potential TTY call and respond by TTY, and to ensure that TTY calls are answered as quickly as other calls received.
The County will monitor its incoming 9‑1‑1 TTY calls to ensure they are answered as quickly and accurately as other calls received.
The County will incorporate correct TTY call-taking procedures into 9‑1‑1 call takers´ performance evaluations and will amend its personnel policies to include written disciplinary procedures for call takers who fail to perform TTY call-taking consistent with the training and procedures. The County will implement and report to the Department its evaluation and procedures within three months of the effective date of this Agreement.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Countywill adapt for its own use and implement thePearl River County Sheriff´s Department´s Policy Statement on Effective Communication with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Attachment C) and distribute to all sheriff department officers the Guide for Law Enforcement Officers When in Contact with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Attachment D).
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Countywill contract with one or more local qualified oral/sign language interpreter agencies to ensure that the interpreting services will be available on a priority basis, twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week, to its sheriff department or make other appropriate arrangements (such as contracting directly with or hiring qualified interpreters).
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Countywill ensure that each sheriff station or substation and each detention facility is equipped with a working TTY to enable persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have speech impairments to make outgoing telephone calls. Where inmate telephone calls are time-limited, the County will adopt policies permitting inmates who use TTYs a longer period of time to make those calls, due to the slower nature of TTY communications compared with voice communications.
will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability upon request unless the accommodation would cause an undue hardship on the operation of the County´s business. If an applicant or an employee requests a reasonable accommodation and the individual´s disability and need for the accommodation are not readily apparent or otherwise known, the County may ask the individual for information necessary to determine if the individual has a disability-related need for the accommodation;
will make an individualized assessment of whether a qualified individual with a disability meets selection criteria for employment decisions. To the extent the County´s selection criteria have the effect of disqualifying an individual because of disability, those criteria will be job-related and consistent with business necessity.
Some of the County´s polling places may be owned or operated by other public entities subject to title II or by public accommodations subject to title III and, as such, would be subject to the obligation to provide program access or to remove barriers to accessibility under the ADA. This Agreement does not limit future enforcement action against the owners or operators of these polling places by any person or entity, including the Department.
Barriers to access at the polling places not owned by the County which were surveyed by the Department are noted in Attachment E. Within one month of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will request in writing that each of the owners and operators of the polling places listed in Attachment E remove the noted barriers to access for persons with disabilities within one year of the effective date of this Agreement. The County will provide a copy of the Department's ADA Checklist for Polling Places (www.ada.gov/votingck.htm) with the written request. The County will simultaneously send a courtesy copy of the request to the Department.
Within twelve months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will survey all facilities listed in Attachment E to determine whether the barriers noted have been removed, and to determine whether there are any barriers to access in the interior portions of those facilities used for polling (e.g., interior route to the voting area and voting area) that were not open for the Department to survey. For each polling place that still contains inaccessible parking, exterior route to the entrance, entrance, interior route to the voting area, or voting area, the County will identify within eighteen months of the effective date of this Agreement an alternate location where these elements are accessible. That identification will utilize the survey instrument that appears as Attachment F to this Agreement. The County will then take immediate steps to change its polling place to the new location. Under this provision of the Agreement, the County will ensure that barriers at each polling place identified in Attachment E are either removed or a substitute accessible polling place is in operation before the next election occurring more than eighteen months after the effective date of this Agreement.
Within twelve months of the effective date of this Agreement, using the survey instrument at Attachment F, the County will survey all polling places not surveyed by the Department to identify barriers to access by people with disabilities in the parking, exterior route to the entrance, entrance, interior route to the voting area, and voting area. Within eighteen months of the effective date of this Agreement, for each such polling place, the County will then either (1)ensure that all barriers to access by people with disabilities have been removed or (2)identify an alternate polling place with no barriers to access by people with disabilities. That identification of accessible polling places will utilize the survey instrument that appears as Attachment F to this Agreement. The County will then take immediate steps to change each inaccessible polling place to a new accessible location. Under this provision of the Agreement, the County will ensure that barriers at each polling place the Department did not survey are either removed or a substitute accessible polling place is in operation before the next election occurring more than eighteen months after the effective date of this Agreement.
Within the month prior to the next election that utilizes the County´s polling places, and at yearly anniversaries of the effective date of this Agreement until it expires, the County will train poll workers on the rights of people with disabilities and the practical aspects of assuring those rights. The training will cover, at minimum, the need to maintain the physical accessibility of polling locations; how to assist people with disabilities, as necessary; and how to operate any non-standard voting equipment or accessible features of standard equipment (particularly new, accessible equipment).
The Department will work collaboratively with the County to ensure that the County´s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) will be in compliance with ADA requirements. The touchstone for compliance with ADA requirements relating to emergency management is Chapter 7 of the Department´s ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments (ADA Tool Kit), which addresses in detail key ADA obligations that apply to all aspects of emergency management, including planning, preparedness, evacuation, shelters, medical and social services, lodging and housing programs, recovery, and rebuilding.
The County is committed to compliance with the ADA requirements as described in Chapter 7 of the ADA Tool Kit. Within 60 days of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will revise its EOP so that it conforms with Chapter 7 of the ADA Tool Kit, and the County will provide a copy of its revised EOP (including supporting documents) to the Department. The Department will review the revised EOP to ensure compliance with title II of the ADA and its implementing regulation.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that if its emergency warning systems use sirens or other audible alerts, it will also provide ways to inform persons who are deaf or hard of hearing of an impending disaster. The use of auto-dialed TTY messages to pre-registered individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, text messaging, e-mails, open-captioning on local TV stations and other innovative uses of technology may be incorporated into such procedures, as well as lower-tech options such as dispatching qualified sign language interpreters to assist with emergency TV broadcasts.
Some of the of the County´s emergency shelters may be owned or operated by other public entities subject to title II or by public accommodations subject to title III and, as such, are subject to the obligation to provide program access or remove barriers to accessibility under the ADA. This Agreement does not limit such future enforcement action against the owners or operators of these facilities by any person or entity, including the Department.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, using the survey instrument entitled ADA Checklist for Emergency Shelters (Attachment N), the County will survey all of its emergency shelters (including those owned or operated by other entities) to identify barriers to access by people with disabilities in the parking; exterior route to the entrance; entrance; interior route to the emergency shelter area, including the route to the drinking fountains, eating areas, sleeping areas, toilet rooms, and shower/bathing rooms designated for those seeking shelter; and the emergency shelter area itself, including the drinking fountains, eating areas, sleeping areas, toilet rooms, and shower/bathing rooms designated for those seeking shelter.
In order for all of the County´s emergency shelters to be accessible, within twelve months of the effective date of this Agreement, for each such emergency shelter, the County will then either (1) ensure that all barriers to access by people with disabilities have been removed or (2) identify and designate an alternate emergency shelter with no barriers to access by people with disabilities, using the survey instrument entitled ADA Checklist for Emergency Shelters (Attachment N).
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement and until all emergency shelters have accessible parking, exterior routes, entrances, interior routes to the shelter area, and toilet rooms serving the shelter area, the Countywill identify and widely publicize to the public and to persons with disabilities and the organizations that serve them the most accessible emergency shelters.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will identify and report to the Department all streets, roads, and highways that have been constructed or altered since January 26, 1992. Paving, repaving, or resurfacing a street, road, or highway is considered an alteration for the purposes of this Agreement. Filling a pothole is not considered an alteration for the purposes of this Agreement. Within three years of the effective date of this Agreement, the Countywill provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at all intersections of the streets, roads, and highways identified under this paragraph having curbs or other barriers to entry from a street level pedestrian walkway.
Beginning no later than three months after the effective date of this Agreement, the Countywill provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at any intersection having curbs or other barriers to entry from a street level pedestrian walkway, whenever a new street, road, or highway is constructed or altered.
Within one month of the effective date of this Agreement, and on subsequent anniversaries of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will distribute to all persons B employees and contractors B who design, develop, maintain, or otherwise have responsibility for content and format of its website(s) or third party websites used by the County (Internet Personnel) the technical assistance document, Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities, which is Attachment H to this Agreement (it is also available at www.ada.gov/websites2.htm).
Establish, implement, and post online a policy that its web pages will be accessible, and create a process for implementation
The County will ensure that all buildings and facilities constructed by or on behalf of the County are constructed in full compliance with the requirements of 28 C.F.R. §35.151, including applicable architectural standards.
The County will ensure that alterations to County facilities are made in full compliance with the requirements of 28 C.F.R. §35.151, including applicable architectural standards.
The elements or features of the County´s facilities that do not comply with the Standards, including those listed in Attachments I, J, and K, prevent persons with disabilities from fully and equally enjoying the County´s services, programs, or activities and constitute discrimination on the basis of disability within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. §12132 and 28 C.F.R. §§35.149 and 35.150.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will install signage as necessary to comply with 28 C.F.R. §35.163(b), after having surveyed all facilities that are the subject of this Agreement for the purpose of identifying those that have multiple entrances not all of which are accessible.
Program Access in Existing Facilities: In order to ensure that each of the County´s programs, services, and activities operating at a facility that is the subject of this Agreement, when viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to and usable by persons with mobility impairments, the County will take the actions listed in Attachments K and M.
Facilities and Programs Not Surveyed by the Department: The County will review compliance with the requirements of title II of the ADA for those County facilities and programs that were not reviewed by the Department. Within twelve months of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will submit for review by the Department a detailed report listing the access issues identified during its review together with the corrective actions and completion dates proposed to resolve such issues. The review conducted by the County, the access issues identified, and the corrective actions and completion dates proposed will be consistent with the requirements of title II of the ADA; the review of County facilities and programs conducted by the Department for purposes of this Agreement; and the access issues, corrective actions, and completion dates reflected in Attachments I, J, K, and.M.
If the County owns or operates any programs that provide shelter, counseling, or other assistance or supportive services to victims of domestic violence or abuse and their families (hereafter referred to as Domestic Violence Programs), within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, it will do the following:
If the County´s Domestic Violence Programs operate a hotline to take telephone calls of an emergency nature, the County shall ensure that it provides equivalent service for persons who use TTYs, including providing direct-connection service for TTY users with hotline operators, without requiring TTY users to call through a third party operator, such as through the state or local Telecommunication Relay Services. The County will obtain the necessary equipment, establish the written procedures, and provide the training necessary to ensure effective communication by hotline staff with direct-connection callers using TTYs, as well as the training necessary to respond to callers who use the Telecommunication Relay Services.
Survey facilities used as shelters or designated as potential shelters B or for counseling, job training, education, clothing or household provisioning, or other aspects of Domestic Violence Programs B to ensure that adequate arrangements are available for potential clients and family members with disabilities, including adults and children who have mobility impairments, who are blind or have low vision, and who are deaf or hard of hearing. Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, modify each such facility to remove the barriers or, alternatively, procure another, fully accessible facility to ensure that potential clients and family members with disabilities have integrated options when participating in a sheltering or other Domestic Violence program. Nothing in this Agreement requires any modifications that would compromise the confidentiality of a shelter or counseling center. Until there is a sufficient stock of accessible housing and other facilities within the sheltering program, the County will implement written procedures ensuring that it has identified temporary accessible housing (such as accessible hotel rooms within the community or in nearby communities) and other facilities that could be used if people with disabilities need sheltering or inservice access to a Domestic Violence Program. The cost to potential clients of being housed or otherwise served in alternate accessible facilities shall not exceed any costs normally attributed to clients of the County´s Domestic Violence Programs.
Implement written procedures and modify, as appropriate, eligibility criteria, to ensure that no person with a disability is turned away from a shelter or otherwise denied the opportunity to benefit from the services of the County´s Domestic Violence Programs on the basis of disability.
Implement written procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities who use service animals are not denied or discouraged from participating in Domestic Violence Programs, are able to be housed and served in an integrated environment, and are not separated from their service animals while participating in the County´s Domestic Violence Programs even if pets are normally not permitted in the facilities where such programs are conducted. The procedures will not unnecessarily segregate persons who use service animals from others but may take into account the potential presence of persons who, for safety or health reasons, should not be in contact with certain types of animals. If the County´s Domestic Violence Programs require clients to make any payments for shelter or other services they provide, clients shall not be required to make additional payments because they or their family members use service animals.
Implement written procedures to ensure that reasonable modifications are made to the County´s Domestic Violence Programs when necessary for a client or family member with a disability to participate in such Programs, unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the program.
Implement written policies to ensure that despite any "drug-free" policy of the County´s Domestic Violence Programs, persons with disabilities who use medication prescribed for their use are able to continue using such medication while participating in such Programs or being housed in a shelter.
If the County contracts with another entity to provide or operate Domestic Violence Programs, it will ensure that the other entity complies with the preceding provisions on its behalf. If that entity will not comply with the following provisions, the Countywill nonetheless take all necessary steps to ensure that its program is accessible to persons with disabilities.
Some of the of the County´s shelters may be owned or operated by other public entities subject to title II or by public accommodations subject to title III and, as such, are subject to the obligation to provide program access or remove barriers to accessibility under the ADA. This Agreement does not limit such future enforcement action against the owners or operators of these facilities by any person or entity, including the Department.
Throughout the life of this Agreement, consistent with 28 C.F.R. §35.133(a), the County will maintain the accessibility of its programs, activities, services, facilities, and equipment, and will take whatever actions are necessary (such as routine testing of accessibility equipment and routine accessibility audits of its programs and facilities) to do so. This provision does not prohibit isolated or temporary interruptions in service or access due to maintenance or repairs. 28 C.F.R. §35.133(b).
Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, the County will deliver its training program to all County employees who have direct contact with members of the public. At the end of that period, the County will submit a copy of its training curriculum and materials to the Department, along with a list of employees trained and the name, title, and address of the trainer.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties on the matters raised herein, and no other statement, promise, or agreement, either written or oral, made by either party or agents of either party, that is not contained in this written Agreement (including its Attachments, which are hereby incorporated by reference), will be enforceable. This Agreement does not purport to remedy any other potential violations of the ADA or any other federal law. This Agreement does not affect the County´scontinuing responsibility to comply with all aspects of the ADA and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.