AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

The following Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the provision of services, activities, programs, and benefits by the Massachusetts Court System.

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, may be made available for persons with disabilities as appropriate.

The complaint should be submitted by the grievant as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

Roger Albrecht/Heather Shann, ADA Coordinators
Administrative Office of the Trial Court
2 Center Plaza, Suite 540
Boston, MA 02108
Fax: 617-742-0968

Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, Mr. Albrecht or Ms. Shann will investigate the matter and respond in writing, and/or where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the Massachusetts Courts and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by Mr. Albrecht or Ms. Shann does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complaint may appeal the decision of the ADA Coordinator within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to Chief Justice for Administration of Management or his/her designee.

Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the Chief Justice or his/her designee will contact the complainant if further information is needed to review the complaint. Subsequently, the Chief Justice or his/her designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as audio tape, with a final resolution of the complaint as soon as is reasonable to evaluate all information pertinent to the complaint, but no later than 60 days after receipt of the appeal.

All written complaints received by ADA Coordinator Roger Abrecht/Heather Shann, appeals to the Chief Justice for Administration and Management or his/her designee, and responses from the ADA Coordinator and Chief Justice or his/her designee will be kept by the Massachusetts Courts for at least three years.

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