Both the ADA and Title VI require that a specific person to be designated for the local government as a Coordinator responsible for the administrative requirements applicable to those regulations. The role of the Coordinator includes:
- Coordinating compliance activities of the City related to nondiscrimination in its programs and services
- Assisting citizens with requests for program modifications, improvements of physical accessibility of existing facilities, or auxiliary aids and services needed due to a disability or Limited English Proficiency
- Managing the City’s Complaint/Grievance Procedure for complaints of alleged discrimination by the City under the ADA, Title VI, or related authorities
The City of Providence ADA & Title VI Coordinator may be contacted at:
ADA Title II Coordinator
Leonela Felix, Ethics Education and ADA Title II Coordinator
City of Providence, Solicitor’s Office
444 Westminster Street, Suite 220
Providence, RI 02903
401-680-5333 (voice) or 711 (TTY)
Email: ada@providenceri.gov
Title VI Coordinator
What can the ADA & Title VI Coordinator help me with?
The following types of requests may be used to tell the City about a specific need you may have related to a disability or other protected class, when trying to participate in a program, service or activity of the City of Providence. You can request assistance by contacting the department where you are doing business, or the ADA Coordinator by email at ada@providenceri.gov or phone at 401-680-5333. Please note, request must be made at least 48 hours prior to the meeting or activity.
Requests for Reasonable Modification/Accommodation
The City will make reasonable modifications (“accommodations”) in policies, practices, or procedures when the modification is necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability. However, the City is not required to make a modification when it would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity, cause undue financial or administrative burden, or create a threat to safety.
Examples of Reasonable Modifications:
- City staff assisting people with disabilities (cognitive, mobility, visual, etc.) in filling out a form
- Granting extra speaking time in a public comment session to a person with a speech disability or who is using an interpreter
- Allowing a Service Animal — that is a dog trained to perform specific tasks related to the disability of its handler — in an area that would otherwise not allow animals.
Requests for Physical Accessibility Improvement
The City shall operate each service, program or activity so that when it’s viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. In the event that a structural change to a facility, including the public right-of-way, is needed to achieve program accessibility, the City will accept need-based requests from people with disabilities to evaluate, prioritize, and work out best possible solutions and timelines for barrier removal to meet requester’s needs.
Examples of Physical Accessibility Improvements:
- Due to your mobility disability, request the addition of a curb ramp (or removal of another barrier) at a location related to your individual need to get to government offices, public facilities, medical care, transportation, work, shopping, or another location.
- Due to your vision disability, request an Audible Pedestrian Signal at a location related to your individual need for travel route.
- Due to your use of a wheelchair with limited reach, request the relocation of a push-button actuated door, or other control feature, to be within your reach level.
Request for Communication Auxiliary Aid/Service
The City will take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with members of the public with disabilities are as effective as communications with others. This may be achieved through a request by a person with a disability to have alternate format communication material, or auxiliary aids or services needed due to their disability.
Examples of Communication Auxiliary Aids or Services:
- Due to your vision disability, request a large font printed version of materials.
- Due to your deafness or hard hearing disability, request an American Sign Language Interpreter or captioning for a meeting.
- Due to your deafness or hard of hearing disability, conduct phone conversations with the City by using Rhode Island Relay Service.
Request Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Services
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is a term used to describe people who do not speak English as their primary language and who also may have limited ability to read, write, or understand English. Upon request, the City will provide to people with LEP free translation and interpretation services of City information for public meetings, oral communications, written communication and documents.
Examples of Limited English Proficiency Requests:
- Request for translation of written City forms or informational material.
- Request a bilingual staff person to assist you at a City service counter.
- Request for Spanish interpreter or Spanish captioning for a public meeting.
For more information on how the City is expanding language access city-wide,
click here to see our Language Access Toolkit.
