In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§12101, et seq., Will County (County) will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in the County's services, programs, or activities. No qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services,programs or activities of the County. Nor shall any qualified individual with a disability be discriminated against because of the disability of such individual in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. The County will not ask a job applicant about the existence, nature, or severity of a disability. Applicants may be asked about their ability to perform specific job functions. Medical examinations or inquiries may be made, but only after a conditional offer of employment is made and only if required of all applicants for the position.
The County will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability upon request unless the accommodation would cause an undue hardship on the operation of the County's business. To the extent its selection criteria for employment decisions have the effect of disqualifying an individual because of disability; those criteria will be job-related and consistent with business necessity. The County will provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services, including qualified sign language interpreters and assistive listening devices, whenever necessary to ensure effective communication with members of the public who have hearing, sight, or speech impairments, unless to do so would result in a fundamental alteration of its programs or an undue administrative or financial burden.
A person who requires an accommodation or an auxiliary aid or service to participate in a County program, service, or activity, should contact the office of the Director of Human Resources, at (815) 740-4634 as far in advance as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event. The County 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.
WILL COUNTY
In Grievance Procedure under The Americans with Disabilities Act
This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in employment practices and policies or the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by Will County.
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. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape 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 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:
Director of Human Resources
Ph: 815.740.4634
County of Will
Will County Office Building
302 North Chicago Street
Joliet, IL 60432
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the Director of Human Resources will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the Director of Human Resources will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of Will County and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
If the response by the Director of Human Resources does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision of the Director of Human Resources within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the Chief Elected Official or his or her designee.
If the complainant appeals, the Chief Elected Official or his or her designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the Chief Elected Official or his or her 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 Director of Human Resources, appeals to the Chief Elected Official or his or her designee, and responses from the Director of Human Resources and Chief Elected Official or his or her designee will be kept by Will County for at least three years.