ADA Grievance Procedure
TOWN OF HAMPDEN GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
FOR AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLAINTS
The following Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in employment practices and policies or the provision of services, activities, programs and benefits by the Town. 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. Reasonable accommodations, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities who are unable to submit a written complaint. The complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but, no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:
ADA Coordinator
Hampden Senior Center
104 Allen Street
Hampden, MA 01360
(413) 566-5588
coa@hampdenma.gov
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint the ADA Coordinator will meet (in-person or virtually) with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolution.Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the ADA Coordinator will respond in writing via email or print in keeping with the format of the original complaint submitted, and where appropriate in a format accessible to the complainant such as audiotape. The response will explain the position of the Town and offer opinions for substantive resolution of the complaint. If the response by the ADA Coordinator does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision of the ADA Coordinator within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the Board of Selectmen at:
Board of Selectmen
c/o Town Administrator
625 Main Street
Hampden, MA 01036
Townadmin@hampdenma.gov
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the Board of Selectmen or their designee will meet (in-person or virtually) with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 days after the meeting the Board of Selectmen or their designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate in a format accessible to the complainant such as audiotape, with a final resolution of the complaint. All complaints received by the ADA Coordinator, appeals to the Board of Selectmen or their designee, and responses from the ADA Coordinator and the Board of Selectmen or their designee will be kept by the Town for at least three years. Any response deadline specified in this procedure may be extended by mutual consent of the grievant and relevant Town official.