ADA Notice & Grievance Procedure

In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (Department) will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

The Department 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.

The Department 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 Department’s programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.

The Department 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 Department 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 Department, should contact the office of Tessa Rinke, ADA Coordinator, at 405-425-2135 or Tessa.Rinke@dps.ok.gov as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the Department 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 Department is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the ADA Coordinator.

The Department 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.

This Grievance Procedure is established 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 Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (Department). The Department’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 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

Tessa Rinke
ADA Coordinator
PO Box 53004, Oklahoma City, OK 73152

Within 10 calendar days, the ADA Coordinator will collect necessary information and forward it to the employee’s supervisor, who will investigate the complaint pursuant to Department’s Administrative Investigations Policy. Such investigations should be completed within 45 days from the date of the complaint.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, ADA Coordinator or her designee will meet with the complainant to discuss general complaints and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the ADA Coordinator or her designee will respond in writing to general complaints, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the Department and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

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 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the Commissioner or his designee.

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