County of Santa Clara Grievance Procedure under the Americans with Disabilities Act

This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”). It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the County of Santa Clara. The County of Santa Clara has policies in place governing employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.

The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date and description of the problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

The complaint should be submitted by the grievant or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendars days after the alleged violation to:

Coordinator of Programs for the Disabled 
2310 N. First St., Ste. 101 
San Jose, CA 95131

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the Coordinator of Programs for the Disabled or his/her designee will contact the complainant, and if necessary, meet with the complainant to discuss possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the initial contact, the Coordinator of Programs for the Disabled or his/her designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant. The response will explain the position of the County of Santa Clara and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by the Coordinator of Programs for the Disabled or his/her designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days receipt of the response to the Manager of the Equal Opportunity Department or his/her designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the Manager of the Equal Opportunity Department or his/her designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting with the Manager of the Equal Opportunity Department or his/her designee will respond in writing and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

All written complaints received by the Coordinator of Programs for the Disabled or his/her designee, appeals to the Equal Opportunity Department Manager or his/her designee, and responses will be retained by the County of Santa Clara for at least three years.