In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the Lee County Sheriff’s Office will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities in its services, programs, or activities, when viewed in their entirety.
Employment:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office 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:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in Lee County Sheriff’s Office 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:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office 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 Lee County Sheriff’s Office locations, 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 Lee County Sheriff’s Office, should contact the ADA Coordinator as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.
The ADA does not require the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
Complaints by a Lee County Sheriff’s Office employee, job applicant or a member of the public regarding a program, service, or activity not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to ADA Coordinator, Kimberly Van Waus at 239-477-1139.
Complaints by an inmate of a Lee County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Facility regarding a program, service, or activity should be directed to ADA Coordinator, Sergeant Kristen Ratay at 239-477-1533.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office 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.
ADA Coordinators
ADACoordinator@sheriffleefl.org
Law Enforcement Coordinator
Kimberly Van Waus
239-477-1139
Corrections Coordinator
Sergeant Kristen Ratay
239-477-1533
Lee County Sheriff’s Office
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 Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The Lee County Sheriff Office 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:
Corrections Coordinator
Kristen Ratay
ADA Coordinator / Sergeant
14750 Six Mile Cypress Parkway
Fort Myers, FL 33912
Law Enforcement Coordinator
Kimberly Van Waus
ADA Coordinator / Benefits Specialist
14750 Six Mile Cypress Parkway
Fort Myers, FL 33912
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, an ADA Coordinator or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, an ADA Coordinator or 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 Lee County Sheriff’s Office and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
If the response by an ADA Coordinator or 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 Support Services Executive Chief Matthew Sands or his designee.
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the Support Services Executive Chief or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the Support Services Executive Chief or 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 an ADA Coordinator or designee, appeals to the Support Services Executive Chief or designee, and responses will be retained by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for at least three years.