The Kentucky Court of Justice is committed to fully complying with Title I and Title II of the
Americans with Disabilities Act and the
Kentucky Civil Rights Act, which prohibit discrimination based on disability and ensure equal opportunity for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Employment
The KCOJ does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title I of the ADA.
The court system’s ADA coordinator processes requests by employees for reasonable accommodations consistent with current ADA law and, where appropriate, ensures reasonable accommodations are provided in a prompt, fair and efficient manner using an interactive process.
Auxiliary Aids and Services
The KCOJ will generally, upon request, provide auxiliary aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so that they can participate equally in KCOJ programs, services and activities.
These auxiliary aids and services include assisted listening devices; American Sign Language interpreters; oral interpreters; Communication Access Realtime Translation; accessible formats such as large print, Braille, electronic document or audiotapes; and reader services.
Modifications to Practices, Policies and Procedures
The KCOJ will make all reasonable modifications to practices, policies and procedures to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in all of its programs, services and activities. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in KCOJ offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.
The ADA does not require the KCOJ to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
The KCOJ will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids and services or reasonable modifications of practices, policies or procedures, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.
How to Request a Modification or Auxiliary Aid or Service
Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication or needs a modification of practices, policies or procedures to participate in a KCOJ program, service or activity, should contact the circuit court clerk, the presiding judge or the KCOJ employee or office that is offering the program, service or activity to make the request. Requests should be made as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event if possible.
The court system’s ADA coordinator assists circuit court clerks, judges and KCOJ employees to ensure people with disabilities are provided an equal opportunity to participate in KCOJ programs, services and activities.
How to Request an American Sign Language Interpreter for Courtroom Proceedings
To request an American Sign Language interpreter for court proceedings, you should contact the circuit court clerk or the presiding judge as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event if possible.
How to File a Complaint Alleging a Lack of Accessibility Due to Disability
The KCOJ has established a grievance procedure to meet ADA requirements. It may be used by anyone who is not a KCOJ employee and wishes to file a complaint alleging a KCOJ program, service or activity is not accessible to individuals with a disability.
Note: The
KCOJ Personnel Policies govern employee requests for an ADA accommodation and the interactive process as required by Title I and are not addressed by this process.
The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged inaccessibility, such as the name, address and phone number of the complainant and the 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 to persons with disabilities upon request.
The complaint should be submitted by the complainant or his or her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:
KCOJ ADA Coordinator
Administrative Office of the Courts
1001 Vandalay Drive
Frankfort, KY 40601
800-928-2350 ext. 50328
HRRegulatoryCompliance@kycourts.net
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA coordinator/designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions, if any. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the ADA coordinator/designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille or audiotape. The response will explain the position of the KCOJ and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint, if appropriate.
If the response by the ADA coordinator/designee does not satisfactorily resolve the complaint, the complainant and/or his or her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to:
Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division
U.S. Department of Justice
P.O. Box 66738
Washington, D.C. 20035-6738
800-514-0301 (voice) or 800-514-0383 (TTY)
www.ada.gov
All written complaints received by the KCOJ ADA coordinator/designee; appeals to the Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice or appropriate designee; and responses from these two offices will be retained by the ADA coordinator for at least three years.