City of Franklin, TN
Home MenuAmericans with Disabilities Act
Sara E. Sylvis
ADA Coordinator
Risk/Benefits Manager
109 3rd Avenue South, Suite 102
Franklin, TN 37064
615-791-3277
Fax: 615-550-1965
sara.sylvis@franklintn.gov
Americans with Disabilities Act
On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the ADA, a comprehensive civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. The ADA law broadly protects the rights of individuals with disabilities in employment, access to State and local government services, places of public accommodation, transportation and other important areas of American life. The ADA law also requires newly designed and constructed or altered State and local government facilities, public accommodations and commercial facilities to be readily accessible to and usable by individual with disabilities.
Discrimination Statement
In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the City of Franklin, TN (City) will not discriminate against any qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in the City’s services, programs, or activities.
The City does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices. The City will not ask a job applicant about the existence, nature, or severity of a disability. Applicants may be asked about their ability to perform specific job functions. Medical examinations or inquiries may be made, but only after a conditional offer of employment is made and only if required of all applicants for the position. The City will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability upon request unless the accommodation would cause an undue hardship on the operation of the City’s business. The City will make an individualized assessment of whether a qualified individual with a disability meets the selection criteria for employment decisions. To the extent its selection criteria for employment decisions have the effect of disqualifying an individual because of disability; those criteria will be job related and consistent with business necessity.
The City will provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services, including qualified sign language interpreters and assistive listening devices, whenever necessary to ensure effective communication with members of the public who have hearing, sight, or speech impairments, unless to do so would result in a fundamental alteration of its programs or an undue administrative or financial burden. A person who requires an accommodation or an auxiliary aid or service to participate in a City program, service, or activity, should contact the City’s Human Resources Department, Title VI Coordinator, 615-791-3277 as far in advance as possible but no later than 120 hours before the scheduled event.
The City will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who are wheelchair users.
Transition Plan
The City of Franklin is striving to make all City programs, services and facilities accessible to all persons, especially those with disabilities. Under the American with Disabilities Act, the city is adamant about the law. The American with Disabilities Act Transition Plan is the City’s commitment to providing equal access to all of its public programs, services, facilities and activities for citizens with disabilities. To develop this plan, the City has undertaken a comprehensive evaluation of its facilities and programs to determine what types of access barriers exist for individuals with disabilities. This plan replaces previous self-evaluation and transition plans developed by the City and its departments and will be used to guide future planning and implementation of necessary accessibility improvements. Click here for the City's ADA Transition Plan.
The City of Franklin, TN, has prepared an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Public Right-of-Way Transition Plan to address accessibility needs for persons with disabilities living and visiting the City. The plan sets priorities to improve pedestrian access routes along City-owned streets with facilities such as curb ramps, accessible pedestrian signals, and accessible transit stops.
The City of Franklin, TN, has prepared an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) comprehensive survey of architectural barriers in numerous City owned facilities. These surveys represent the highest public volume locations. They also provide a good mixture of facility types as well provided the City and overview of architectural barriers that prevent people with disabilities from using its facilities and participating in its programs.
The City of Franklin, TN, has prepared an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) comprehensive survey of certain parks and park facilities to bring them into compliance with ADA requirements.
Americans with Disabilities Act Grievance Procedure
This grievance procedure is established to meet the requirements of the ADA. It 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 City of Franklin.
The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number, email address 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 persons with disabilities upon request.
The complaint should be submitted as soon as possible, preferably within 60 calendar days of the alleged violation to:
Sara E. Sylvis
ADA Coordinator
Risk/Benefits Manager
109 3rd Avenue South, Suite 102
Franklin, TN 37064
615-791-3277
Fax: 615-550-1965
sara.sylvis@franklintn.gov
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, Sara Sylvis will meet with complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, Sara Sylvis will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format that is accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the City of Franklin and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.
if the response by Sara Sylvis does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the City Administrator.
Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the City Administrator, or their designee, will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the City Administrator, or their designee, will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format that is accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.
CITY OF FRANKLIN FORMS TO DOWNLOAD
City of Franklin Applicant Accommodation Request
If you need immediate assistance, have questions or need additional information, please contact your local ADA Coordinator.
To fill out a service request for ADA accommodation, please click here.
Sara E. Sylvis, RMPE, SHRM-CP, ADA-C
615-791-3277
sara.sylvis@franklintn.gov
Helpful Links:
Department of Labor
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Department of Justice