In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Columbia will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Employment: City of Columbia does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title I of the ADA.

Effective Communication: City of Columbia will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in City of Columbia’s programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: City of Columbia will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in City of Columbia offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity of the City of Columbia, should contact the office of: Gardner Johnson, Employee Relations Manager/ ADA Coordinator, City of Columbia, Human Resources Department, 1225 Lady Street, PO Box 147, Columbia SC 29217, telephone 803-545-4265 or fax 803-343-8752 as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the City of Columbia to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden. Complaints that a program, service, or activity of City of Columbia is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Gardner Johnson, Employee Relations Manager/ADA Coordinator, Human Resources Department, 1225 Lady Street, PO Box 147, Columbia SC 29217, telephone (803) 545-4265 or fax (803) 343-8752.

The City of Columbia 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 use wheelchairs.