NOTICE UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Bay Transit will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs or activities.
Employment: Bay Transit 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: Bay Transit will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in Bay Transit’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: Bay Transit 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. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a Bay Transit program, service, or activity, should contact the Bay Transit’s ADA Coordinator, Ken Pollock at 804-250-2019 or kpollock@bayaging.org as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.
The ADA does not require Bay Transit to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose any undue financial or administrative burden.
Complaints that a Bay Transit program, service, or activity is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Bay Transit’s ADA Coordinator, Ken Pollock at 804-250-2019 or kpollock@bayaging.org.
Bay Transit 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.
Bay Transit’s ADA Grievance Procedure
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 Bay Transit.
The Complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant, location, date, and description of the alleged discrimination. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.
The complaint should be submitted by the complainant and/or their designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:
Ken Pollock
Bay Transit
PO Box 610
Urbanna, VA 23175
804-250-2019
TTY/TDD (for the deaf or hard-of-hearing) 1-800-828-1120 or 711
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint [ADA Coordinator Name] or their designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolution. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting [ADA Coordinator Name] or their 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 Bay Transit’s position and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
If Bay Transit’s response does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or their designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.
All written complaints received by Ken Pollock or his designee, appeals to the Department of Rail and Public Transportation or their designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by Bay Transit for at least one year. A summary of all ADA-related complaints will be maintained for at least 5 years.
Bay Transit Service Animal Policy
Service Animals
Customers are permitted to bring their service animals on board Bay Transit vehicles and into all Bay Transit facilities. A service animal is defined as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.
A service animal must be under the control of its handler at all times. Bay Transit may remove any service animal that displays any aggressive or disruptive behavior.
There is no fee to bring a service animal on board Bay Transit vehicles.