Section 800.10  Purposes

 

a)         This grievance procedure is established pursuant to the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 USC 12101 et seq.) (ADA), and specifically Section 35.107 of the Title II regulations (28 CFR 35.107) requiring that a grievance procedure be established to resolve grievances asserted by qualified individuals with disabilities.  Should any individual desire to review the ADA or its regulations to understand the rights, privileges and remedies afforded by it, please contact the Designated Coordinator.

 

b)         In general, the ADA requires that each program, service and activity offered by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, when viewed in its entirety, be readily accessible to and usable by qualified individuals with disabilities.

 

c)         It is the intention of the Council to foster open communication with all individuals requesting readily accessible programs, services and activities.  The Council encourages supervisors of programs, services and activities to respond to requests for modifications before they become grievances.

 

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 3232, effective February 25, 2008)

 

Section 800.20  Definitions

 

"Act" or "ADA" means the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 USC 12101 et seq.).

 

"Complainant" is an individual with a disability who files a grievance on the form set out in Appendix A.

 

"Council" means the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities created by 20 ILCS 4010/2006.

 

"Designated Coordinator" is the person appointed by the Director of the Council who is responsible for coordination of efforts of the Council to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under Title II of the ADA, including the investigation of grievances filed by complainants.  The Designated Coordinator for the Council can be contacted at the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, 830 South Spring, Springfield, Illinois 62704, (217)782-9696 (voice) or (888)261-2717 (TTY).  (See 28 CFR 35.107.)

 

"Director" means the Director of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities.

 

"Disabilities" shall have the meaning set forth in the Americans With Disabilities Act.

 

"Grievance" is any complaint under the ADA that is reduced in writing by an individual with a disability who meets the essential eligibility requirements for participation in or receipt of the benefits of a program, activity or service offered by the Council and believes he or she has been excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, any program, service or activity of the Council or has been subject to discrimination by the Council.

 

"Grievance Form" means the form set out in Appendix A. The Grievance Form is prescribed for the purpose of filing a grievance under this Part and includes information such as name, address, phone number, nature of the grievance, with specificity, including date of incident, time place and witnesses if applicable.

 

"Qualified individual with a disability" means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies or practices, the removal of architectural, communication or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities provided by the Council.

 

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 3232, effective February 25, 2008)

 

Section 800.30  Grievances (Repealed)

                       

(Source:  Repealed at 32 Ill. Reg. 3232, effective February 25, 2008)

 

Section 800.40  Procedure  

 

a)         Grievances must be submitted in accordance with procedures established in Sections 800.50 and 800.60.  It is mutually desirable and beneficial that grievances be satisfactorily resolved in a prompt manner.  Time limits established in this procedure are in calendar days, unless otherwise stated, and may be extended by mutual agreement, in writing, by the complainant and the reviewer, at the Designated Coordinator and/or Final Level described in Sections 800.50 and 800.60.

 

b)         A complainant's failure to submit a grievance, or to submit or appeal it to the next level of procedure within the specified time limits, shall mean that the complainant has withdrawn the grievance or has accepted the last response from the Designated Coordinator given in the grievance procedure.

 

c)         The Council shall, upon being informed of an individual's desire to file a formal grievance, instruct the individual how to receive a copy of this procedure and the Grievance Form.

 

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 3232, effective February 25, 2008)

 

Section 800.50  Designated Coordinator Level

 

a)         If an individual desires to file a grievance, the individual shall promptly, but no later than 180 days after the alleged discrimination, submit the grievance to the Designated Coordinator in writing on the Grievance Form. The Grievance Form must be completed in full in order to receive proper consideration by the Designated Coordinator.

 

b)        Upon request, assistance in completing the Grievance Form shall be provided by the Council.

 

c)         The Designated Coordinator, or his/her representative, shall investigate the grievance and, if the grievance is found to be valid, shall make reasonable efforts to resolve it.  The Designated Coordinator shall provide a written response to the complainant and the Director within 15 business days after receipt of the Grievance Form.

 

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 3232, effective February 25, 2008)

 

Section 800.60  Final Level

 

a)         If the grievance is not resolved at the Designated Coordinator Level to the satisfaction of the complainant, the complainant may submit a copy of the Grievance Form and Designated Coordinator's response to the Director for final review.  The complainant shall submit these documents to the Director, together with a short written statement explaining the reasons for dissatisfaction with the Designated Coordinator's written response, within 15 days after receipt by the complainant of the Designated Coordinator's response. 

 

b)         Within 15 business days, the Director shall appoint a three-member panel to review the grievance at the Final Level.  One member shall be designated chairman. The panel shall schedule a review of the grievance, which shall commence no later than 15 business days after the last member of the panel is appointed.

 

c)         Complainant shall be afforded an opportunity to appear before the panel.  Complainant shall have a right to appoint a representative to appear on his/her behalf. The panel shall review the Designated Coordinator's written response and may conduct interviews and seek advice as it deems appropriate.

 

d)         Upon agreement of at least two of the panel members, but not later than 15 business days after the review described in subsection (b), the panel shall make recommendations in writing to the Director as to the proper resolution of the grievance.  All recommendations shall include reasons for such recommendations and shall bear the signatures of the concurring panel members.  A dissenting member of the panel may make a recommendation to the Director in writing and shall sign the recommendation.

 

e)         Within 15 business days after receipt of recommendations from a panel, the Director or designee shall approve, disapprove or modify the panel recommendations; shall render a decision on those recommendations in writing; shall state the basis for his or her decision; and shall cause a copy of the decision to be served on the parties. The Director's decision shall be final.  If the Director disapproves or modifies the panel's recommendations, the Director may include written reasons for that disapproval or modification.

 

f)         The Grievance Form, the Designated Coordinator's response, the statement of the reasons for dissatisfaction, the recommendations of the panel, and the decision of the Director shall be maintained in accordance with the State Records Act [5 ILCS 160] or as otherwise required by law.

 

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 3232, effective February 25, 2008)

 

Section 800.70  Accessibility

 

The Council shall ensure that all stages of the grievance procedure are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

 

Section 800.80  Case-by-Case Resolution

 

Each grievance involves a unique set of factors that includes but is not limited to:  the specific nature of the disability; the essential eligibility requirements, the benefits to be derived, and the nature of the service, program or activity at issue; the health and safety of others; and whether an accommodation would constitute a fundamental alteration to the program, service or activity or undue hardship on the Council.  Accordingly, termination of a grievance at any level, whether through the granting of relief or otherwise, shall not constitute a precedent on which any other complainants should rely.

 

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 3232, effective February 25, 2008)

Section 800.APPENDIX A   Grievance Form

 

Grievance

Discrimination Based on Disability

 

It is the policy of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities to provide assistance in filling out this form.  If assistance is needed, please ask:

 

ADA Coordinator − Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities

830 South Spring Street

Springfield, Illinois 62704

(217)782-9696 (Voice)

(888)261-2717 (TTY)

 

Name:
Address:
City, State and Zip Code:
Telephone No.:
The Best Means and Time for Contacting:
Program, Service, or Activity to which Access was Denied or in which Alleged
Discrimination Occurred:
Nature of Alleged Discrimination:
(Attach additional sheets, if necessary.  If the grievance is based on a denial of requested reasonable modification, please fill out the back of this form.)

 

 

I certify that I am qualified or otherwise eligible to participate in the program, service or activity and the above statements are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

 

 

Signature		Date

 

Please give to the ADA Coordinator at the address listed above.

 

For Office Use Only

 

Date Received:________________________________  By:__________________

(BACK OF FORM)

 

Please fill out this part of the form if this grievance is based upon the denial of a requested reasonable modification.  A reasonable modification will be made to make programs, services, and activities accessible.  Reasonable modifications could include such things as providing auxiliary aides and devices and changing some policies and requirements to allow an individual with a disability to participate.  This portion of the form should be filled in to the extent you know the answers.  The form may be submitted even if this portion is incomplete.

 

Reasonable Modification Requested:

 

The Date the Reasonable Modification was Requested:

 

The Person to whom the Request was made:

 

The Reason for Denial:

 

Estimated Cost of Modification (If an Assistive Device, such as a TTY or optical reader, or Commodity or Service to which a Cost is Readily Known):

 

Why is the requested modification necessary to use or participate in the program, service, or activity?

 

Alternative modifications which may provide accessibility:

 

Any other information you believe will aid in a fair resolution of this grievance.

 

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 3232, effective February 25, 2008)