Accessibility

Accessibility

Website Accessibility

The City of Palm Coast is committed to providing accessible content to all citizens and users. As we are going through the process to meet today’s Accessibility Standards and guidelines if there are documents, or services that you are having an issue accessing please contact us. If you feel there is something we can improve upon to make services better available to you, please contact our current ADA Compliance Coordinator (“ADA Coordinator”):

Note: If you are attending a public hearing or meeting and an accommodation is needed, please notify the City of your request a minimum of 48 hours in advance.

Accessibility Standards

We are working diligently to meet guidelines and standards specified under the updated Communications Act 508 to serve and assist the disabled utilizing the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 AA success criteria) and the refreshed (WCAG 2.1) of June 5, 2018.

Grievance Procedure

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) and ADA amendments, the City of Palm Coast will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Effective Communication: The City of Palm Coast will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in City programs, services, and activities. This may include, but not be limited to qualified sign language interpreters, written materials, large print materials, assistive listening devices, taped texts, audio recordings, accessible documents, and other accessible formats for people who have speech, hearing, or vision disabilities.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The City of Palm Coast will make reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy the City’s programs, services, and activities.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a City program, service, or activity, should contact the applicable City department or ADA Coordinator at (386) 986-2570, VSmith@palmcoastgov.com at least 48 hours prior to the meeting or event.

The ADA does not require the City 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 City program, service, or activity is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the ADA Coordinator, via phone (386) 986-2570, email VSmith@palmcoastgov.com or 160 Lake Avenue, Palm Coast, FL 32164.

The City will not place a surcharge on an 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.

Americans with Disabilities Act Grievance Procedure

This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the City of Palm Coast.

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. Upon request, alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities.

The complaint should be submitted by the grievant or designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator or 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 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 City of Palm Coast and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response from the ADA Coordinator or designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant or designee may submit a written appeal to the Acting City Manager at (386) 986-3702, Ljohnston@palmcoastgov.com, or her designee within 15 calendar days.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the City Manager or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the City Manager or designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

All written complaints received by the ADA Coordinator or if the designee appeals to the City Manager or designee; and responses from these two offices will be retained by the City of Palm Coast in accordance with the retention laws of the State of Florida.

ADA Site Audit

As new data, documents, services, and information are continually being added, we will review our processes to maintain ADA compliance and usability for all users and citizens. The City will conduct manual audits annually as well as automated audits in an effort to keep online services accessible to all.