People with disabilities have the right to request or receive reasonable accommodations at any time. This includes a change, adaptation, or modification to a policy, program, service, facility, or workplace that will allow a qualified person with a disability to fully participate in a program, take advantage of a service, live in a home, or do a job. Ada County's policy is to ensure that all county facilities, programs, services, or activities are accessible to people with disabilities. Anyone who requires an accommodation can directly contact the department or office for which access, service or program is being requested.
If an individual department or office cannot provide housing or it is a modification of county or center policies, contact the ADA coordinator as soon as possible, but no later than forty-eight (4) hours before the scheduled event. If you need help filing an application or are not sure who to call, contact the ADA coordinator. The decision maker or supervisor must contact the requesting party within a reasonable period of time, usually within 3 business days of the submission of the request for reasonable accommodation, to confirm and recognize the request and to initiate the interactive process. It is important to note that once a request is submitted to the decision maker or supervisor, the deadline for processing the accommodation begins.
If the decision maker or supervisor is on leave or is unavailable, an alternate must be identified to begin the process and contact the requesting party within a reasonable period of time, usually 3 business days. The acknowledgment of receipt must identify the date the initial request was made. When making a request for medical information, designated disability counselors should consult with the person responsible for making decisions about the information necessary to identify a reasonable and effective accommodation. In short, the request for medical information should focus on determining if the person has a disability, how the disability affects their ability to participate in the application and interview process or their ability to perform essential job functions, and what types of accommodations can be effective. Once medical information is received, designated disability counselors must determine if a disability exists and, if so, consult with the person responsible for making decisions to review the employee's functional limitations in order to determine an effective reasonable accommodation.
If appropriate due to medical complexity, the decision maker can work with Human Resources, CR and Counseling offices to have the medical information provided reviewed by a medical expert. Federal non-discrimination laws that protect against disability discrimination cover not only tenants and applicants for housing with disabilities but also non-disabled buyers and renters who live with or are associated with people with disabilities. The director of OA CR shall ensure that members of his OA staff are well informed about the policy and other publications or guidelines issued by DOT on reasonable accommodation, specifically regarding how to recognize and respond to requests for reasonable accommodation and deadlines set forth in this Order. The search for vacant positions in Department must be carried out by OA human resources specialist through OST selective placement coordinator in accordance with guidelines of DOCR's Manual of Reasonable Accommodations. Some people with disabilities can count on support of an animal to help them with effects of their disability. Designated disability counselors are responsible for requesting and maintaining medical information in accordance with this Order.
In most cases, person's medical records or detailed information about nature of person's disability are not necessary for this consultation and may be inappropriate. Additional information and best practices for requesting medical information including specific language to be used in such requests can be found in DOCR's reasonable accommodation manual. People with disabilities have right to reasonable accommodations and modifications so that they can fully enjoy their homes and participate in and receive benefits of housing programs for which they qualify.
