Municipal ADA Committee

 

Leon A. Gaumond Jr., Compliance Coordinator

 

ADA Mission

The ADA Committee’s continuing mission is to (1) coordinate and monitor Town ADA compliance, (2) provide guidance and evaluate efforts to improve access to Town facilities and programs; (3) develop procedures to identify and correct access deficiencies; (4) advise the Board of Selectmen regarding compliance related issues and recommend appropriate remedial actions; (5) field complaints alleging the Town’s noncompliance with ADA.

Policies and Procedures Related to Title II of the ADA

It is the policy of the Town of East Longmeadow to support the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 in its entirety. To do this, each town department is responsible for appointing an ADA Coordinator to ensure the appropriate implementation of this Act. To support the Coordinators in performing their job in an effective and efficient manner, the following procedures have been developed:

1. ADA Committee (herein referred to as the Committee) - This Committee was established by the Board of Selectmen to  coordinate and monitor Town ADA compliance, (2) provide guidance and evaluate efforts to improve access to Town facilities and programs; (3) develop procedures to identify and correct access deficiencies; (4) advise the Board of Selectmen regarding compliance related issues and recommend appropriate remedial actions; (5) field complaints alleging the Town’s noncompliance with ADA.  The ADA Committee meets quarterly.

2. Roles and responsibilities of the Committee Compliance Coordinator

1.      Development of Committee agendas with input from all Committee members.

2.      Maintains the minutes from all Committee meetings.

3.      Maintains the roster for the Committee.

4.      Responsible for all mailings to Committee members.

5.      Responsible for establishing and providing an updated copy of the ADA Coordinator's Resource List to all State ADA Coordinators.

3. Roles and Responsibilities of Department ADA Coordinators

1.      All Departments shall designate an ADA Coordinator, who must make good faith efforts to attend all ADA  Committee meetings and represent their respective department at these meetings. This Committee meets quarterly or when needed.

2.      Each Coordinator is responsible for being the contact and resource person, regarding ADA, for his/her respective department.

3.      Each Coordinator is responsible for monitoring the accessibility and ADA-related activities of their respective department. Should programmatic, budgetary or other concerns arise in these areas, the Coordinator is responsible for making recommendations to his/her Board to correct these concerns.

4.      Each Coordinator is responsible for forwarding all ADA complaints, grievances, etc. to the ADA Committee. Complaints are to be submitted by the complainant on the East Longmeadow ADA Grievance Form.

5.      Each Coordinator is responsible for the maintenance and confidentiality of all ADA-related records. Records that need to be maintained include documentation regarding accommodating employees, applicants or the public (please specify when the request was made, what type of accommodation was requested, what type of accommodation was offered, what type of accommodation was actually provided, and whether or not the provided accommodation was helpful/effective) and documentation of ADA grievances, etc. and the status of their resolution. Any information which may disclose the presence, nature or extent of any individual's disability must be kept confidential and maintained in a separate, limited access file. Records will only be shared as legally authorized.

6.      Should there be a change in the appointment of an ADA Coordinator in a specific department, the previous Coordinator in that department is responsible for informing the Chairperson of the ADA Committee of the change, with the new Coordinator's name, phone number, etc.

 

For questions about ADA issues or to speak with the Compliance Coordinator, Leon A. Gaumond Jr., please call him at 413-525-5427 or email him at lgaumond@eastlongmeadow.org.