The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that public entities, such as the Town of Schererville, who employ 50 or more people are required to adopt and publish grievance procedures that provide for prompt and equitable resolutions of complaints or grievances alleging any action that could be prohibited by Title ll. The Town of Schererville is currently in the process of developing its ADA Transition Plan. The Town of Schererville's grievance procedure is described below. Anyone who believes he or she has been denied access to a Town facility, program or service because of his or her disability may file a grievance. Anyone who is representing a person with a disability, as a parent, guardian, attorney or advocate, may do so as well.
Step One: Filing a Grievance
You or your representative should fill out an ADA complaint form as completely as possible. The form should be filed in writing with the ADA Coordinator within 60 days of the alleged discriminatory act. Upon request, reasonable accommodations will be provided in completing the form, or alternative formats of the form will be provided. Print out the PDF version of the ADA Complaint Form or the ADA Accommodation Form and email it to ada@schererville.org or mail it to: ADA Coordinator, 10 E. Joliet St, Schererville, IN 46375
Step Two: Conducting an Investigation
The Town's ADA Coordinator will notify you that they have received your complaint within 5 business days. The ADA Coordinator will conduct an investigation into the merits of the complaint within 5 business days of receiving it. If necessary, you may be contacted to get more details about your complaint. If you do not want to be contacted, you should indicate that on the complaint form. If your complaint alleges misconduct on the part of the ADA Coordinator, the Town Manager will appoint another individual to investigate the merits of your complaint.
Step Three: Decision
After full consideration of the merits of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator or other authorized individual will prepare a written decision. A copy of the decision will be mailed to you within 5 business days of completion.
Step Four: Appealing the Decision
If you are dissatisfied with the Coordinator's written decision, you may file a written appeal with the Town Manager's Office within 20 business days from the date the decision was mailed. Your appeal must include an explanation of why you are dissatisfied with the written decision, and must be signed by you or by someone authorized to sign on your behalf. The Town Manager's Office will notify you that it has received your appeal within two business days of receiving the appeal. The Town Manager's Office, working with appropriate Town staff, will decide the appeal within 20 business days of receiving it. A copy of the written decision on the appeal will be sent to you within three business days of completion. Any Town employee involved with processing or investigating ADA complaints will maintain the confidentiality of all files and records relating to the complaint, unless disclosure is authorized by the complainant or required by law. Any retaliation or intimidation used to discourage a complainant from filing a complaint or to punish a complainant for filing a complaint is prohibited and should be reported immediately to the ADA Coordinator and/or Town Manager's Office, as appropriate.