THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AT MU

SOME ADA ISSUES

Do you need classroom accommodations or job accommodations at MU because of a disability?

Does a disability adversely affect your academic performance at MU, or your job opportunities at MU?

If you have a disability, are MU's programs, activities, and services - such as admissions, registration, financial aid, academic programs, advising, counseling, student health, and housing - accessible to you?

Do you need more information about the rights of people with disabilities, or about disability-related resources available at MU and in the community?

The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Missouri Human Rights Act provide protections against disability-based discrimination. These laws also require MU to provide reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified people with disabilities - in the classroom and at work.

Because the University is a major federal contractor, MU must also take affirmative action to employ qualified individuals with disabilities and advance them in employment.

TITLE II OF THE ADA APPLIES TO:

• Employment practices,
• Educational practices,
• Construction, Alteration, or renovations of buildings and facilities,
• Communication methods,
• Criteria for program eligibility, and
• Other programs and activities that might be discriminatory.

ADA COMPLIANCE

"Public entities" like MU have a continuing responsibility to monitor and address ADA compliance issues. The ADA requires a "public entity that employs 50 or more persons [to] designate at least one employee to coordinate its efforts to comply with and fulfill its responsibilities under Title II, including the investigation of complaints. A public entity shall make available the name, office address, and telephone number of any designated employee" (Department of Justice ADA Title II Technical Assistance Manual).

MU's ADA Coordinator is: Lee Henson 465 McReynolds Hall 573-884-7278 V/T fax: 573-882-1809 hensonl@missouri.edu

COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES

The ADA also requires a public entity to adopt and publish grievance procedures providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action that would be prohibited by Title II. Informal grievances or complaints should be brought to the ADA Coordinator. If informal resolution is not achieved, formal grievances are submitted to the Office of the Provost, Human Resource Services, or the Director of Student Life, for faculty, staff, or students respectively. To learn more about the ADA and other postsecondary disability issues, visit the ADA Coordinator website: http://ada.missouri.edu

Revised June 2005