In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), The City of Gary will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.
- Employment: The City of Gary 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..
- Effective Communication: The City of Gary will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in the City of Gary programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.
- Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The City of Gary will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in the City of Gary offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.
Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity of the City of Gary, should contact the office of Sam Shapira, ADA Coordinator at 401 Broadway, Suite 300 Gary, IN 46402, or by phone at 219-881-1310 as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.
The ADA does not require the City of Gary to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
Complaints that a program, service, or activity of the City of Gary is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the office of Sam Shapira, ADA Coordinator at 401 Broadway, Suite 300 Gary, IN 46402, or by phone at 219-881-1310.
The City of Gary 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/services or reasonable modifications of policy, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.
Upon request, reasonable accommodation will be provided in reviewing this Form or copies of the form will be provided in alternative formats. Contact the Sam Shapira, ADA Coordinator at the address listed below or via telephone (219)881-1310.
Sam Shapira
ADA Coordinator/Traffic Engineer
401 Broadway, Suite 300
Gary, IN 46402
Direct Phone: (219) 881-1310
Fax: (219) 882-7371
sshapira@ci.gary.in.us
ADA Coordinator
To ensure proper communication and implementation for people with disability in the community, the city of Gary has established a responsible point person.
A. ADA Coordinator
Effective communication is essential to address all the complaints or concerns of all individuals, as well as implementation of the plan. Complaints should be addressed to: Sam Shapira, whom the Board of Public Works has designated to coordinate its ADA compliance efforts and who is referred to throughout this document as the “ADA Coordinator”. All complaints should be submitted by the grievant and/ or his/her designee as soon as possible to:
Sam Shapira
ADA Coordinator/Traffic Engineer
401 Broadway, Suite 300
Gary, IN 46402
Direct Phone: (219) 881-1310
Fax: (219) 882-7371
sshapira@ci.gary.in.us
In addition to being the designated ADA Coordinator, Mr. Shapira is also an employee of the Department of Public Works and designated staff member for site plan review committee and active Member of the City of Gary’s Plan Commission.
Grievance Procedure
The internal grievance procedure established below is intended to provide prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action that is prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The procedure may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provisions of services, activities, programs, or benefits provided by the City of Gary.
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. Grievance forms, which can be accessed on-line and are available as a paper copy in the Department of Public Works, must be used to lodge a complaint. The city’s ADA Coordinator is available to disabled persons requiring assistance to file a grievance. Alternative forms of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or recording of the complaint will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.
The complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 30 calendar days after the alleged violation to the address of the ADA coordinator:
Sam Shapira
ADA Coordinator/Traffic Engineer
401 Broadway, Suite 300
Gary, IN 46402
Direct Phone: (219) 881-1310
Fax: (219) 882-7371
sshapira@ci.gary.in.us
Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA coordinator or his designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 30 calendar days of the meeting, the ADA Coordinator or his designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the City of Gary and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
Grievance Appeal Procedure
If the response by the ADA Coordinator or his designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 30 calendar days after receipt of the response the ADA Coordinator or his designee.
Within 30 calendar days after the receipt of the appeal, the ADA Coordinator or his designee will meet again with the complainant to discuss the appeal and possible resolutions. Within 30 calendar days after the meeting, the ADA Coordinator or his designee will respond in writing and, where appropriate, in a format described above that is accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.
All written complaints received by the ADA Coordinator or his designee, appeals to the ADA Coordinator or his designee, and responses from the ADA office will be retained by the City of Gary for at least (3) three years.
City of Gary
