Investigates grievance reports from people who believe they have been denied access to King County facilities, programs or services due to disability. Provides training and technical assistance to King County government in evaluating programs and services to help ensure accessibility to members of the public who have disabilities.  Only provides assistance for access issues for facilities owned and operated directly by King County.

Disability Access and Compliance offered at King County Office of Equity and Social Justice

Investigates complaints filed by those who believe they have been denied access to King County facilities, programs or services due to a disability. Grievances must be filed within 180 days.

Programs that provide assistance for people who believe they have been denied equal access to student loans or scholarships, or to educational programs at preschool, elementary, secondary, vocational, postsecondary, postgraduate or professional school levels based on their age, gender, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status.

Education Discrimination Assistance

Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the licensing, quality of service, excessive fees, false or misleading advertising, unethical or improper conduct of personnel or other inappropriate business practices of employment agencies.

Employment Agency Complaints

Programs such as governmental, departmental or nonprofit ombudsman offices that provide assistance for people who want to register complaints about or have other issues which relate to the activities, actions or lack of action by public officials or civil service employees in local, county, state or federal government offices or the agencies they regulate and/or fund. Also included are programs that handle complaints about the availability and quality of services provided by any of these levels of government. The program provides an objective, neutral and independent review of complaints; offers reasonable remedies when complaints are substantiated; and uses information from the complaints and the investigations they trigger to identify and resolve problems within the agency or department and improve services.

Government Complaints/Government Ombudsman Offices

Programs that ensure that physical spaces (including buildings, parking lots, sidewalks, parks and other areas that are used by the public) are safe and free from obstacles which prevent access by people who have disabilities; that technologies (including software applications and operating systems, Web-based information and applications, telecommunications products, video and multimedia products, and commercial products such as information kiosks, calculators and fax machines) have features which support accessibility; and that enhancements which improve accessibility are implemented wherever possible. Legislation mandating accessibility for people with disabilities includes the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (which took effect in 1992), the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968, and the Rehabilitation Act (which was amended in 1998 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities).

Accessibility Related Standards/Legislation Compliance

Programs that provide information about the accessibility of parks, airports, public buildings and other facilities for use by people who have restricted mobility. Also included are programs that provide general information about accessibility in home, work and community settings.