Accessibility Policy
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the City of Fort Worth does not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.
The ADA does not require the City of Fort Worth to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
Accommodation Requests:
The City of Fort Worth 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. Employees of the City of Fort Worth who are seeking accommodations related to their employment should contact the Employee and Labor Relations Division at 817-392-7997.
- Accessibility in City Services, Programs, or Activities and the Provision of Auxiliary Aids and Services for Effective Communication:
The City of Fort Worth will make all reasonable modifications to services, policies, programs and activities to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity for participation. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in City offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.
The City of Fort Worth 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 city’s programs, services, and activities, including accessing the City’s website. Accommodation requests can include, but are not limited to: 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 City of Fort Worth 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 a reasonable modification in a policy, program, service or activity, or in the provision of an auxiliary aid.
Anyone who requires a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity of City of Fort Worth, or requires an auxiliary aid, can request an accommodation via phone, email or online. Please submit your request no less than a minimum of 48 hours before the scheduled event, program or activity.
Phone Requests: contact the city’s ADA coordinator at 817-392-8552
Email Requests: email ada@fortworthtexas.gov, as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event, program and/or activity.
Online Requests:
- Reasonable Accommodation in Land Use and Development:
In March 2016, City Council adopted ordinance 22098, which provides for “reasonable accommodation or modification for residential uses” for persons with disabilities and outlines a process for how to request accommodations in City land use and development policies. A person may request an accommodation when a desired change to a residential dwelling or property is not allowed by right. Examples include:
- Carport, fence, or other structure in required yard (ramps allowed by right)
- Paving of front yard (outside driveway)
- Garage enclosure
- Kitchen/stove in accessory dwelling unit
- Occupancy by more than five unrelated adults
Apply for an accommodation in Land Use and Development
If an accommodation is approved, the applicant or property owner must obtain appropriate building permits or other permissions as normally required.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Complaints
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 by the City of Fort Worth on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits. The purposes for which the ADA Grievance form can be used include, but are not limited to, complaints about the accessibility of city facilities, sidewalks, curb ramps, parking spots/lots and programs.
Complaints regarding public accessibility under the ADA can be submitted on the ADA Grievance form. If you choose not to use the form, your complaint should contain information about the alleged discrimination including your name, address, and phone number and location, date, and description of the problem. While complaints should generally be submitted in writing, alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or acceptance of tape-recorded complaints will be accommodated. The city will, upon request, provide interpreters for those who do not speak English or who communicate via American Sign Language.
The complaint should be submitted as soon as possible after the alleged violation was discovered. Send complaints to one of the following:
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the city ADA coordinator or designee will contact the complainant to set a time to meet to discuss the complaint. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the ADA coordinator’s office will respond in writing, or where appropriate, in a format more accessible to the complainant. The response will update the complainant on the status of the complaint, offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint, if possible, or provide an estimate on when that information will be provided.
If the response by the ADA coordinator’s office does not resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the complainant, then the complainant may request that the ADA coordinator escalate the matter to the director of the department(s) with responsibility for the program complained of. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the matter for consideration, the relevant department director(s) or designee(s) will respond in writing, or, where appropriate, in a format more accessible to the complainant.
If the response by the director of the relevant department(s) or designee(s) does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, then the complainant may request that the ADA coordinator escalate the matter to the city manager. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the matter for consideration, the city manager or designee will respond to the complainant in writing, or where appropriate, in a format more accessible to the complainant, with a final determination on the issue.
All written complaints received by the ADA coordinator’s office, appeals to department directors and the City Manager, and responses from these persons or their designees, will be retained by the City of Fort Worth for at least three years.
Contact the city’s ADA coordinator at 817-392-8552 or via email at ada@fortworthtexas.gov, with any questions about this process.