U.S. Department
of Justice
Disability Rights Cases
Arizona Department of Child Safety
On December 16, 2024, the United States announced its findings that the State of Arizona's Department of Child Safety (DCS), violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by discriminating against parents, including foster parents and other caregivers, and children with disabilities. The United States found that DCS failed to communicate effectively with parents and children with hearing disabilities, including by not providing interpreters. DCS also failed to reasonably accommodate the needs of parents with disabilities by, for example, not providing information in a simplified form. Finally, DCS denies parents with disabilities an equal chance to participate in and benefit from DCS programs and services. The United States' letter asks DCS to develop and implement changes to policies and procedures to ensure parents and children with disabilities are not discriminated against in DCS programs and services, train its employees on ADA compliance, and take other measures to redress the discrimination.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections
On September 30, 2024, the Justice Department entered into a settlement agreement under Title II of the ADA with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WDOC) to ensure that incarcerated individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing have equal access to WDOC’s programs, services, and activities, including educational, counseling, medical, recreational, and prison employment programs. Under the agreement, WDOC will provide inmates with hearing disabilities appropriate auxiliary aids and services, such as sign language interpreters, video telephones, visual notification systems, and hearing aids. WDOC will also develop individualized communication assessments and plans; provide training on the ADA to staff; and pay $15,000 to compensate three incarcerated individuals who were harmed.
U.S. v. Knox County, Texas
On August 27, 2024, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas executed a settlement agreement with Knox County, Texas, pursuant to Title II of the ADA. The settlement agreement resolved a complaint from an individual who is deaf that Knox County failed to provide effective communication and an American Sign Language interpreter during a marriage ceremony to be performed by the County. The agreement requires the County to publish and implement an anti-discrimination and effective communication policy, training, and reporting.
U.S. v. State of Alaska
On June 17, 2024, the Department of Justice issued a letter of findings that Alaska violated Title II of the ADA by denying voters with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in the voting process, failed to provide an accessible ballot for in-person voting, selected inaccessible polling places for federal, state, and local elections, and maintained an inaccessible elections website.
Upton County, TX Election Website Accessibility
On June 14, 2024, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas secured settlement agreements with four Texas counties--Colorado, Runnels, Smith, and Upton--to resolve the Department's findings that the Counties violated Title II of the ADA by maintaining election websites that discriminate against individuals with vision or manual disabilities. The websites provide essential voting information and registration requirements. Under the settlement agreements, the counties agreed to make all future and existing online election content accessible to people with disabilities. The counties also agreed to hire an independent auditor to evaluate the accessibility of their election websites’ content, provide notice to visitors and users of the websites to solicit comments and requests about any accessibility barriers, designate an employee to coordinate its efforts, revise its procedures, and train relevant personnel.
Runnels County, TX Election Website Accessibility
On June 14, 2024, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas secured settlement agreements with four Texas counties--Colorado, Runnels, Smith, and Upton--to resolve the Department's findings that the Counties violated Title II of the ADA by maintaining election websites that discriminate against individuals with vision or manual disabilities. The websites provide essential voting information and registration requirements. Under the settlement agreements, the counties agreed to make all future and existing online election content accessible to people with disabilities. The counties also agreed to hire an independent auditor to evaluate the accessibility of their election websites’ content, provide notice to visitors and users of the websites to solicit comments and requests about any accessibility barriers, designate an employee to coordinate its efforts, revise its procedures, and train relevant personnel.
Smith County, TX Election Website Accessibility
On June 14, 2024, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas secured settlement agreements with four Texas counties--Colorado, Runnels, Smith, and Upton--to resolve the Department's findings that the Counties violated Title II of the ADA by maintaining election websites that discriminate against individuals with vision or manual disabilities. The websites provide essential voting information and registration requirements. Under the settlement agreements, the counties agreed to make all future and existing online election content accessible to people with disabilities. The counties also agreed to hire an independent auditor to evaluate the accessibility of their election websites’ content, provide notice to visitors and users of the websites to solicit comments and requests about any accessibility barriers, designate an employee to coordinate its efforts, revise its procedures, and train relevant personnel.
Colorado County, TX Election Website Accessibility
On June 14, 2024, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas secured settlement agreements with four Texas counties--Colorado, Runnels, Smith, and Upton--to resolve the Department's findings that the Counties violated Title II of the ADA by maintaining election websites that discriminate against individuals with vision or manual disabilities. The websites provide essential voting information and registration requirements. Under the settlement agreements, the counties agreed to make all future and existing online election content accessible to people with disabilities. The counties also agreed to hire an independent auditor to evaluate the accessibility of their election websites’ content, provide notice to visitors and users of the websites to solicit comments and requests about any accessibility barriers, designate an employee to coordinate its efforts, revise its procedures, and train relevant personnel.
U.S. v. Springfield Clinic, LLC
On May 7, 2024, the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois executed a settlement agreement with Springfield Clinic LLC pursuant to Title III of the ADA. The settlement agreement resolved a complaint from an individual who has a vision disability that the Springfield Clinic’s website and web-based services were not accessible because the Clinic’s patient and records request portals did not work with screen readers. The agreement requires the Clinic to adopt and implement a web accessibility policy; ensure that all its websites, web content, mobile applications, web-based services, and contractors will conform with the standards published by the World Wide Web Consortium (“W3C”), including Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.1 AA; designate a web accessibility coordinator; and provide training to staff, reporting to the United States, and compensatory damages to the complainant.
City of Virginia Beach, Virginia
On April 18, 2024, the Justice Department entered into a settlement agreement under Title II of the ADA with the City of Virginia Beach, VA, a jurisdiction that has one of the highest concentrations of veterans in the country, many with service-connected disabilities. Under the agreement, the City will ensure the accessibility of its facilities, curb ramps, websites, and emergency management procedures, that it provides effective communication in its programs, and that it trains City staff about the requirements of the ADA.
Lincoln Public Schools
On August 15, 2024, the United States filed a Complaint and proposed Consent Decree to resolve allegations that Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) violates Title II of the ADA by denying some deaf and hard of hearing students an equal opportunity to attend their neighborhood schools or participate in the high school choice program. The Complaint alleges that until 2024, LPS applied a blanket policy requiring students believed to need American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation to attend cluster schools serving deaf and hard of hearing students. Under the proposed Consent Decree, LPS has agreed to pay $12,000 to compensate individuals the policy harmed; end its blanket policy of requiring deaf and hard of hearing students believed to need ASL to attend a cluster school; adopt non-discrimination policies and complaint procedures; designate an ADA coordinator; train staff and provide reports to the department during a monitoring period.
Service Oklahoma
On November 16, 2023, the United States announced its finding that Service Oklahoma, a state agency, violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by maintaining a mobile application that is inaccessible to individuals with vision disabilities.
On January 22, 2024, the United States executed a settlement agreement with Service Oklahoma regarding the accessibility of its mobile apps. Under the agreement, Service Oklahoma will ensure that any mobile app that it creates, administers, or maintains is accessible to individuals with disabilities and conforms to accessibility guidelines Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Version 2.1, Level AA. Service Oklahoma agreed to take other corrective actions, including soliciting accessibility feedback and requests from the public, retaining an ADA coordinator, providing ADA training to employees, and reporting to the department.
Press Release-Letter of Findings
Press Release-Settlement Agreement