Title II of the ADA provides that no qualified individual with a disability shall be excluded or denied the benefits of services or activities on the basis of disability. Examples of services that must be accessible include:

 

  • Courts, juvenile justice systems, and pre-trial services;
  • Medical and mental health services;
  • Educational and vocational programs;
  • Housing placements, parole and release programs, and re-entry planning; and
  • Law enforcement street interactions, taking and responding to complaints or calls for assistance, vehicle stops and searches, arrests, detentions, interviews, interrogations, and emergency responses; and
  • Probation and parole services.

The following example provided by the U.S. Department of Justice is an example of a reasonable accommodation which a public entity must provide: For example, if a city has an extremely lengthy and complex application process for a government service, the city will have an obligation to make reasonable modifications to its application process to ensure that otherwise eligible individuals are not denied needed benefits. Modifications to the program might include simplifying the application process or providing applicants who have mental disabilities with individualized assistance to complete the process.

Have You Experienced Discrimination? If you believe you have experienced discrimination because of your mental illness, there are a variety of legal options available. To determine whether you have a claim on the basis of discrimination, you should speak with an attorney that is familiar with the requirements of the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act.

I request that an attorney from Bizer & DeReus contact me to discuss my rights.