Opinion ID: 3178921
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: ADA Background

Text: Title II of the ADA states, “no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.” 42 U.S.C. § 12132. To have a viable claim, a plaintiff must prove: (1) that he or she is a qualified individual with a disability; (2) that he or she was either excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of some public entity’s services, programs, or activities, or was otherwise discriminated against by the public entity; and (3) that such exclusion, denial of benefits, or discrimination was by reason of the plaintiff’s disability. Gohier v. Enright, 186 F.3d 1216, 1219 (10th Cir. 1999) (quotations and brackets omitted). Based on the second element, courts have recognized two types of claims: -8- (1) exclusion from or denial of benefits and (2) discrimination. Id. Appellants allege both. Both require proof of the foregoing three elements, including proof that any denial of benefits or discrimination was “by reason of the plaintiff’s disability.” Id. Courts have recognized three ways to establish a discrimination claim: (1) intentional discrimination (disparate treatment); (2) disparate impact; and (3) failure to make a reasonable accommodation. See Cinnamon Hills Youth Crisis Ctr., Inc. v. Saint George City, 685 F.3d 917, 919 (10th Cir. 2012); Tsombanidis v. W. Haven Fire Dep’t, 352 F.3d 565, 573 (2d Cir. 2003). We recently applied Title II to an officer’s response to a disabled student’s conduct in J.H. ex rel. J.P. v. Bernalillo County, 806 F.3d 1255 (10th Cir. 2015). In that case, an officer arrested an eleven-year-old student in a special needs class for kicking a teacher. 806 F.3d at 1256-57. We said that a Title II plaintiff must show a defendant acted “by reason of an individual’s disability.” Id. at 1260. We held the plaintiff’s ADA claim failed because the officer arrested the student for her assaultive conduct, not based on her disability: “It was th[e] battery, rather than a disability, that led to the arrest.” Id.