Americans with Disabilities Acts - Food Share of Ventura County

Americans with Disabilities

Americans with Disabilities Act Public Notice

In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the FOOD Share, Inc. (hereinafter known as FOOD Share), will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Employment: FOOD Share 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.

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

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: FOOD Share 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 FOOD Share 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 FOOD Share should contact the office of Wayne Hayward, Food Safety and Facilities Manager as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the FOOD Share, 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 FOOD Share, is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Wayne Hayward, Food Safety and Facilities Manager.

FOOD Share, 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.

Americans with Disabilities Act Grievance Procedure

FOOD Share Grievance Procedure under The Americans with Disabilities Act

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 FOOD Share, Inc. (hereinafter known as FOOD Share). The County of Ventura’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:

Wayne Hayward, ADA Coordinator, Food Safety and Facilities Manager
4156 Southbank Rd., Oxnard CA 93036

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, Wayne Hayward or his designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, Wayne Hayward 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 the FOOD Share and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by Wayne Hayward or his 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 County Commissioner or his designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, County Commissioner or his designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the County 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.

All written complaints received by Wayne Hayward or his designee, appeals to the County Commissioner or his designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the County of Ventura for at least three years.