Enforcements

Americans with Disabilities Act 

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

Employment

The City of Fort Worth 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

The City of Fort Worth will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in the city’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

The City of Fort Worth 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 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 Fort Worth should contact the office of the city’s ADA coordinator at 817-392-8552 or ada@fortworthtexas.gov as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the City of Fort Worth 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 the City of Fort Worth is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed the city’s ADA coordinator at 817-392-8552 or ada@fortworthtexas.gov.

The City of Fort Worth 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.

Reasonable Accommodation Ordinance

In March 2016 the City council adopted ordinance 22098, which provides for “reasonable accommodation or modification for residential uses” for persons with disabilities and outlines a process for how to request accommodations. A person may request an accommodation when a desired change to a residential dwelling or property is not allowed by right. Examples include:

  • Carport, fence or other structure in required yard (ramps allowed by right)
  • Paving of front yard (outside driveway)
  • Garage enclosure
  • Kitchen/stove in accessory dwelling unit
  • Occupancy by more than five unrelated adults

Apply for an accommodation(PDF, 59KB)
If an accommodation is approved, the applicant or property owner must obtain appropriate building permits or other permissions as normally required.

View the ordinance to learn more.

Website Accessibility Policy

The City of Fort Worth is committed to information and service accessibility. Understanding that government has a responsibility to provide services to all, the City of Fort Worth will continue making reasonable accommodations on this website for users with disabilities by applying appropriate standards, techniques and technologies as they become available and affordable.

If you need assistance finding information on this website, contact the ADA coordinator at 817-392-8552 or ada@fortworthtexas.gov.

City of Fort Worth Americans Disabilities Act Grievance Procedure

Purpose
This grievance procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination by the City of Fort Worth on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs or benefits. The purposes for which the ADA Grievance form can be used include, but are not limited to, complaints about the accessibility of city facilities, sidewalks, curb ramps, parking spots/lots and programs.

Note
Employees of the City of Fort Worth who are seeking accommodations related to their employment or who wish to report workplace discrimination on the basis of disability should contact the city’s ADA coordinator at 817-392-8552 or the Employee and Labor Relations Division at 817-392-7757.

Complaints regarding public accessibility under the ADA can be submitted on the ADA Grievance form. If you choose not to use the form, your complaint should contain information about the alleged discrimination including your name, address and phone number and location, date and description of the problem. While complaints should generally be submitted in writing, alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or acceptance of tape recorded complaints will be accommodated. The city will, upon request, provide interpreters for those who do not speak English or who communicate via American Sign Language.

The complaint should be submitted as soon as possible after the alleged violation was discovered. Send complaints to one of the following:

Report Online
Report by mail (download a form(PDF, 719KB)):
ADA Coordinator
City of Fort Worth
908 Monroe St.
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
ada@fortworthtexas.gov.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the city ADA coordinator or designee will contact the complainant to set a time to meet to discuss the complaint. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the ADA coordinator’s office will respond in writing, or where appropriate, in a format more accessible to the complainant. The response will update the complainant on the status of the complaint, offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint, if possible, or provide an estimate on when that information will be provided.

If the response by the ADA coordinator’s office does not resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the complainant, then the complainant may request that the ADA coordinator escalate the matter to the director of the department(s) with responsibility for the program complained of. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the matter for consideration, the relevant department director(s) or designee(s) will respond in writing, or, where appropriate, in a format more accessible to the complainant.

If the response by the director of the relevant department(s) or designee(s) does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, then the complainant may request that the ADA coordinator escalate the matter to the city manager. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of the matter for consideration, the city manager or designee will respond to the complainant in writing, or where appropriate, in a format more accessible to the complainant, with a final determination on the issue.

All written complaints received by the ADA coordinator’s office, appeals to department directors and the city manager, and responses from these persons or their designees will be retained by the City of Fort Worth for at least three years.

Contact the city’s ADA coordinator at 817-392-8552 or ada@fortworthtexas.gov with any questions about this process.

Employment Enforcement

Numerous federal laws – such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the ADEA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, along with the city’s employment ordinance, protect people from difference in treatment in their employment because of their race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age (over the age of 40) and disability. The city’s Employment Ordinance also protects people from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and transgender.

File a complaint

Or use the Spanish-language form.

Housing Enforcement

The federal Fair Housing Act and other federal laws prohibit discrimination based and intimidation of people in housing based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, familial status (children under the age of 18) and disability. The city’s housing ordinance protects even more classes of people from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and transgender.

File a complaint

Or use the Spanish-language form.

Public Accommodations Enforcement

The city’s public accommodations ordinance makes it unlawful for any place of business to deny access to goods and services to anyone because of that person’s race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and transgender.

For more information about the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance or to report a possible violation, call 817-392-7525.

File a complaint

Or use the Spanish-language form.

 

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

The City of Fort Worth (City) is committed to the enforcement and compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other Federal authorities (to include 28 CFR Parts 35 and 50, and 49 CFR Parts 21, 27, 28, 37 and 303) prohibiting discrimination. Specifically, the City is committed to ensuring that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, income, age, disability or limited English proficiency (LEP), be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity. The City will make every effort to prevent negative impacts on those populations identified above as result of discrimination in the City’s Programs, policies or activities. Every effort will be made to ensure nondiscrimination in all of the City’s Programs and activities, whether or not those Programs and activities are federally funded.

An electronic copy of the Public Notice of the Title Vi Program Rights is available in English and Spanish(PDF, 106KB)

Filing a Title VI Discrimination Complaint

Any person, or group of persons, or their authorized representative, may file a complaint of discrimination if such person believes that city services, activities or programs were withheld or denied on a discriminatory basis. A discrimination complaint must be filed within 180 days from the date of the most recent occurrence of alleged discrimination.

Complaints may be filed electronically, by mail, fax or in person:

Electronically:

By mail or fax:

Mail the completed complaint form to:
City of Fort Worth Human Relations Unit
Attn: Title VI Coordinator
200 Texas St.
Fort Worth, TX 76102

Or

fax the completed form to (817) 392-7529.

In person:

You may fill out a complaint form in person by visiting (appointments are encouraged):
City of Fort Worth Human Relations Unit
818 Missouri Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76104
817-392-7525

Complaints involving alleged discrimination by a third party with respect to any activity funded in whole or in part by Federal financial assistance will be referred to the Federal granting agency or State sub-granting agency, as applicable, within 10 calendar days of receipt by the City of Fort Worth.

Not a Title VI Discrimination Complaint?

If your complaint is not a Title VI complaint, the City can also take complaints in the following areas:

Accommodations

If you need an accommodation, such as an interpreter, large print or information in another language, please contact Al Henderson, ADA and Title VI Coordinator, at 817-392-7525 or via email.

Resources

 Contact 

Address:
818 Missouri Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 7610
Mailing Address:
200 Texas St.
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Phone:
817-392-7525
Fax:
817-392-7529
 

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/policy-statement-application-title-vii-adea-and-ea-international-organizationsl