Making history and the arts accessible to all people is a major priority of the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission. Every organization receiving grant funds is expected to encourage and develop the participation of a broad cross section of citizens, including, but not limited to, diverse ethnic populations, individuals with disabilities, older adults, and women. Accessibility involves both the facilities used for programming and offices, as well as the content of the programming activity, or product.
Approved: January 17, 2012Nondiscrimination PolicyThe Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission or access to, treatment of or employment in, its services, programs, or activities. Upon request, accommodation will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities to participate in Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission’s services, programs and activities.
The Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission has a designated coordinator to facilitate compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) as required by section 35.107 of the U.S. Department of Justice regulations, and to coordinate compliance with Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
While the above laws mandate equal access to people with disabilities, The Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission makes it a priority to establish a work place and environment that embraces the spirit of the law ensuring an optimal experience for all.
Upon request, information will be made available in alternative formats, such as large print, audiotape, and/or computer disc.
Approved: January 17, 2012ADA Grievance ProcedureThe Commission, as a division within Ocean County Government, must use the Ocean County Freeholder Board- Approved Grievance Procedure. County of Ocean Grievance Procedure under The Americans with Disabilities Act The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders has adopted an internal grievance procedure to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"). 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 County of Ocean. The County's Personnel Policy governs employment-related complaints of disability discrimination. 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 15 calendar days after the alleged violation to: Jill Perez, ADA Coordinator County of Ocean, Human Services Department PO Box 2191 Toms River, NJ 08754-2191 Upon receipt of the complaint, the designated ADA Coordinator will notify the complainant of the receipt of the complaint and initiate an investigation. A report of the final resolution will be issued no later than 60 days from the date of receipt of the complaint, unless a later date is agreed to by the complainant. This decision shall be transmitted to the complainant and/or his/her designee. If the response by the ADA Coordinator or her designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 10 calendar days after receipt of the response to the County Administrator or his designee. A written response will explain the position of the County of Ocean and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint. The determination will also be forwarded to the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders for action (if required). All written complaints received by Jill Perez or her designee, appeals to the County Administrator or his designee, and responses from these two offices, will be retained by the County for at least three years.
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REGRANTEE: The Commission has approved a grievance procedure for dealing with complaints about regrantee inaccessible programs: The Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission (OCCHC) makes every reasonable effort to make its programs and services accessible to everyone. To ensure that its programs and services do remain accessible, the OCCHC sets forth the following grievance policy and procedures for constituents to file complaints about inaccessible programs or services. Because the OCCHC administers grant funds awarded by state agencies and regrants funding to local cultural organizations, a complaint may be made about lack of accessibility to a regrantee program or project. The griever should be encouraged to communicate first with the organization which sponsored the inaccessible program. If an acceptable response is not received within 14 days, then the griever should communicate the grievance to the OCCHC Division Director. Most complaints will probably be informally initiated by the complainant notifying the OCCHC office soon after inaccessibility was encountered. It is important to deal with the problem and try to resolve it as soon as possible. The OCCHC is committed to ensuring access to its programs, services, and publications. Grievances about accessibility of programs or services must be filed with the OCCHC Division Director no later than 30 days from the date the access incident occurred. Grievances can be communicated to the OCCHC Division Director in written or audio form, or in another means of communication most appropriate to the griever. The individual or organization filing the grievance will bear any costs associated with preparing and filing the grievance to the Division Director. The grievance must include the following: Griever’s full name, address, and telephone number. [If a person other than the person who experienced the alleged discrimination makes the grievance, that person’s name, address, and telephone number must also be included]; Special Assistance/Accommodations Available on Two Week Notice and Request LARGE PRINT AVAILABLE. The specific program or service involved in the complaint; Date of incident; A description of the specific complaint about the accessibility of the program or service; Any other background information necessary to support the complaint. If the grievance is presented in audio form, a staffperson will ask the griever for the information listed above and record the information in written format. A written copy of the grievance will be sent to the address provided. Efforts will be made to accommodate special circumstances. The OCCHC Division Director will conduct an investigation of the grievance. The OCCHC Division Director will consult the Ocean County Cultural Access Advisory Committee regarding the grievance, and formulate an informed response based upon the Committee’s recommendation, and respond as soon as possible, but not later than 30 days from the filing date of the grievance. The response will be communicated in a form most appropriate to griever (i.e., large type, audio tape, Braille, sign language interpretation, or other means). The cost of (communicating) the response will be borne by the County of Ocean. The response of the OCCHC Division Director may then be appealed to the full Commission by presenting the above material, the Division Director’s decision, and the reason for appealing the decision. This appeal must be filed with the Commission (original to the Commission Chairman and a copy to the Division Director) within 30 days from the date of the Division Director’s decision. The appeal will be presented to the Commission at its next regularly scheduled Commission meeting. The Commission’s decision will be set forth by the Commission Chairperson 10 days after the Commission meeting.
Direct Grievance to:
Timothy G. Hart
Division Director Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission
1198 Bandon Road
Toms River, NJ
08753
732-929-4779 (Voice)
732-506-5062 (TTY)
732-288-7871 (FAX)
culturalheritage@co.ocean.nj.us
Date of adoption: 01/17/2012
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