Accessibility and Notice Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in the agency's services, programs, or activities.

Employment: DRS 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 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Effective Communication: DRS will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in DRS’ 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.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: DRS will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all agency programs, services and activities. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in DRS offices and facilities, 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 DRS program, service or activity, should contact their counselor or the ADA Coordinator, Charles Watt at (405) 951-3411 as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require DRS 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 DRS program, service or activity is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to:

Charles Watt, ADA Coordinator
Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services
3535 NW 58th Street, Suite 500
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Or via email to CWatt@okdrs.gov

DRS 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.

The DRS Grievance Procedure (Oklahoma Administrative Code 612:1-13-9) is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. It may be used by any member of the public 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 Rehabilitation Services (DRS). The State of Oklahoma'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 180 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

Charles Watt, ADA Coordinator
Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services
3535 NW 58th Street, Suite 500
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
(405) 951-3411

After receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator or his designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 45 calendar days from the receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator or his designee will respond in writing, 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 DRS and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by the ADA Coordinator or his designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant or his designee may appeal the decision to the DRS Executive Director or her designee.

After receipt of the appeal, the Executive Director or her designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. The Executive Director or her designee will then 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 his designee, appeals to the Executive Director or her designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by DRS for at least three years.

ADA Coordinator

3535 NW 58th Street, Suite 500
Oklahoma City, OK 73112