General Guidelines
The Arlington Heights Memorial Library does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its services, programs, activities or employment practices in accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (the “ADA”) and offers alternative reasonable compliance to meet its requirements. Accordingly, the library is committed to ensuring that library communications with applicants, employees and members of the public with ADA disabilities are as effective as communications with others; makes reasonable accommodations in library policies, practices and procedures when necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless a fundamental alteration in a library program would result; and operates its services, programs and activities so that, when viewed in their entirety, they are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. The library provides equal access to persons with disabilities, including those individuals who use service animals.
ADA Compliance Officer
The executive director or their designee is the library’s ADA compliance officer. The executive director can be reached at 847-392-0100, by email at LibraryDirector@ahml.info or by writing to Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 North Dunton Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004.
The executive director will investigate any complaint against the library regarding the ADA
Implementation of this policy is the responsibility of all library staff.
Method of Notification
A copy of this policy is posted on the library’s website and can be printed upon request. If a person with visual impairment or other disability inquires about this policy or about the library’s ADA services, staff will offer to read the policy and to provide appropriate ADA services.
Service Animals
The library welcomes service animals, and service animals are permitted in any area of the library where members of the public are permitted to go. Trainers are also permitted to accompany service animals in training in the library. Members of the public may only enter the library with an animal if it is a service animal that provides accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under the ADA, a service animal is a dog (or, in some cases, a miniature horse) that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The animal must be trained to take a specific action to assist the person with a disability, and the task(s) performed must be directly related to the disability.
If it is not obvious that the animal brought into the library is a service animal, a staff member may ask the following questions:
- Is the animal a service animal required because of a disability?
- What specific work or task has the animal been trained to perform?
A staff member attempting to determine whether an animal is a service animal will never ask about the nature of a person's disability. Service animals are not required to wear special capes, identifying vests or collars.
Service animals must always be under the immediate control of their handlers. Service animals which are not housebroken, bark excessively, are uncontrolled or are otherwise disruptive will be required to leave the premises. Animals may never be left unattended on library grounds. Service animals are not allowed on library furniture or fixtures, or in library baskets or carts, and must always remain on the floor or be carried (as appropriate) by their handlers.
When there is a legitimate reason to remove a service animal, library staff will offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain library materials or services without the animal’s presence. Library staff are not required to provide care, food or a special location for the animal.
Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal is a violation of the library's Code of Conduct, and may result in suspension of library privileges.
Other Animals in the Library
- Pets are not allowed in the library.
- Emotional support, therapy, comfort or companion animals are not service animals as defined by the ADA and Illinois law and are not permitted in the library.
- The library may occasionally present programs that feature animals.
Employment
The library complies with all regulations of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices.
Applicants or employees with disabilities who require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a position or to perform the essential function of their job should contact the human resources manager and/or their supervisor.
Reasonable Accommodation
The library is committed to ensuring that communication with individuals with disabilities is as effective as with individuals without disabilities. The library will make reasonable modifications to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy library programs, services and activities as those without disabilities.
Additionally, in order to assist individuals with disabilities, the library provides materials in a variety of formats: conventional print, large type, DVD, CD, electronic download and streaming services. When materials are not available in all needed formats, the library attempts to provide equivalent or similar items for use by persons with disabilities.
Despite the library’s best efforts, not all library materials may be available in accessible formats, not all areas of the library are available to individuals with disabilities, and not every library program, service and activity can be made accessible to every individual with a disability without fundamentally altering the nature of the service, activity or program. However, the library does make every reasonable effort to provide assistance to individuals with disabilities upon request.
Customers requesting an accommodation should contact the library, by phone at 847-392-0100, text at 847-665-1491 or email at Accessibility@ahml.info. Disability and Supportive Accommodation requests can also be made using the Disability and Supportive Accommodation Request Form: https://www.ahml.info/form/disability-accommodation-request, not less than five (5) working days prior to the program or activity.
Auxiliary aids and services for effective communication may require additional advanced notice, based on the length of time needed to acquire the aid or service.
Denial of Accommodation
The library may deny a request for an accommodation if the particular accommodation requested would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program or activity of the library. If the library determines a requested accommodation would fundamentally alter the nature of operations, the library will advise the requester of the decision in writing and discuss whether there is an alternative accommodation that would effectively ensure individuals with disabilities receive the benefits and services of the library.
The library may also deny or revoke an accommodation, and access to library services, if the individual with a disability poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others. In determining whether an individual with a disability poses a direct health and/or safety threat, the library will make individualized assessment, based on reasonable judgment of the best available objective evidence, to ascertain: the nature, duration and severity of the risk; the probability that the potential injury will actually occur; and whether reasonable modifications of policies, practices, or procedures or the provision of auxiliary aids or services will mitigate the risk.
The library may impose legitimate safety requirements necessary for the safe operation of services, programs or activities as long as the requirements are based on actual risks, not on mere speculation, stereotypes or generalizations about individuals with disabilities.
Program and Meeting Accessibility
All notices and advertising for library-sponsored programming will contain an appropriate ADA notice, (such as the following):
Customers requesting an accommodation should contact the library, not less than five (5) working days prior to the program or meeting. The library can be reached at 847-392-0100, text at 847-665-1491 or email at accessibility@ahml.info. Disability and Supportive Accommodation requests can also be made using the Disability and Supportive Accommodation Request Form: https://www.ahml.info/form/disability-accommodation-request.
Grievance Procedures
The Grievance Procedure may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.
The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date, and description of the problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for people with disabilities upon request.
The complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or their designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to: executive director, as the library's ADA compliance officer or their designee. The executive director can be reached at 847-392-0100, by email at LibraryDirector@ahml.info or by writing to Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 North Dunton Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004.
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the library's ADA compliance officer or their designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the library's ADA compliance officer or their designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant. The response will explain the position of the Arlington Heights Memorial Library and offer options for resolution of the complaint.
If the response by the library's ADA compliance officer or their designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or their designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the library's ADA compliance officer or their designee.
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the library's ADA compliance officer or their designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the appeal and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the library's ADA compliance officer or their designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.
All written complaints and appeals received by the library's ADA compliance officer or their designee, and their responses, will be retained by the Arlington Heights Memorial Library for at least three years.
Individuals are protected from retaliation or coercion when pursuing their rights or responsibilities under the ADA.
To the extent that any existing policies, procedures or guidelines of the library are inconsistent with this policy, this policy shall prevail.