Accessibility and Accommodation

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Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The City of Kent is dedicated to creating and fostering an inclusive, accessible community for all who live or work in the City. The programs, services and activities in Kent are for the benefit and enjoyment of all.

In accordance with federal ADA requirements, the City is evaluating pedestrian facilities in our public rights-of-way to determine whether they meet the federal ADA requirements and standards. The evaluation will be used to complete the Kent ADA Public Rights-of-Way Self-Evaluation Report and ADA Transition Plan.

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a comprehensive civil rights law that Congress enacted to end discrimination against people with disabilities. It guarantees equal opportunities for people with disabilities in:

  • Employment
  • Public accommodations
  • Transportation
  • State and local government services
  • Telecommunications

Title II of the ADA requires the City to provide people with disabilities an equal opportunity to access city services, programs and activities.

Request for Accommodation

The ADA and the Washington State Law Against Discrimination (Chapter 49.60 RCW) prohibit state and local government agencies from discriminating against people with disabilities. In addition, the City must provide reasonable modifications or accommodations to existing policies, practices and procedures to ensure equal access to programs and services. For example, allowing people with disabilities to be accompanied by their service animals onto premises where animals are usually prohibited is a reasonable modification of policy and practice.

If you wish to file a request for accommodation to help you access City services, programs and activities, click here to complete a Request for Accommodation form online.

Title II Grievance Procedures

If you feel that the City has failed to provide an accommodation or equal access to a City activity, program or service, you have a few options:

(1) Contact Chris Hills, Kent ADA Program Coordinator, to resolve the issue. Call Chris at 253-856-5270 (direct) or email him at chills@KentWA.gov. Department of Human Resources, 400 W. Gowe St., Kent, WA 98032

OR

(2) Click here to read or download the City of Kent's Grievance Procedure.

Additional Resources

For additional information about the ADA and related topics, visit these external resources, listed below in alphabetical order.*

ADA Basic Building Blocks Course – Free self-paced web course detailing the basics and core principles of ADA 

American Council of the Blind

American with Disabilities Act

National Association of the Deaf

National Council on Disability

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

*Note: These resources are provided by agencies outside the City of Kent, Washington. The City does not have any control over the accuracy of the information or viability of the links, but we will do our best to keep these links current.