The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, provides comprehensive civil rights protections to qualified individuals with disabilities in the areas of employment, public accommodations, State and local government services, and telecommunications. A primary goal of the ADA is the equal participation of individuals with disabilities in the "mainstream" of American society. Title II of the Act took effect on January 26, 1992 and covers programs, activities, and services of public entities, including Clark County, Washington. Most requirements of Title II are based on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in federally assisted programs and activities. The ADA extends Section 504's non-discrimination requirement to all activities of public entities, not only those that receive Federal financial assistance.
Under Title II, a public entity may not deny the benefits of its programs, activities, or services to individuals with disabilities because its facilities are inaccessible. A public entity's programs, services, and activities, when viewed in their entirety, must be made readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, except where to do so would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the program; result in undue financial and administrative burdens or threaten or destroy the historic significance of an historic property. This standard, known as "program accessibility" applies to all existing facilities of a public entity. Under this standard, Clark County is not required to make all its facilities or every part of a single facility accessible. Program accessibility may be achieved by a number of methods, including but not limited to: alteration of existing facilities to remove architectural barriers, the relocation of activities or services from inaccessible to accessible buildings, the redesign of equipment, assignment of aides to beneficiaries, home visits, or delivery of services at alternate accessible sites. When choosing a method of providing program access, priority is to be given to the one that results in the most integrated setting appropriate to encourage interaction among all users, including individuals with disabilities.
The plan must:
- List the physical barriers in a public entity's facilities that limit the accessibility of its programs, activities, and services to individuals with disabilities,
- Describe the methods that will be used to remove these barriers,
- Specify the schedule for taking the necessary steps to comply with Title II of the ADA; and,
- Name the individual responsible for the plan's implementation
Interested persons, including individuals with disabilities or organizations representing individuals with disabilities, are required to be provided an opportunity to comment on the Transition Plan. The plan must also be made available for public inspection for a period of three years.
This is an overview of the Transition Plan prepared by Clark County. The plan assesses the extent of architectural barriers to program accessibility on the grounds and within the buildings operated by the Clark County, estimates costs for their correction, sets priorities for their elimination, and provides a schedule for their removal.
Methodology
The Clark County ADA Compliance Office initially conducted accessibility surveys on county buildings and facilities. However, it was later determined that individuals with disabilities could provide unparalleled insight into the transition plan. Therefore, the Clark County Board of Commissioners authorized creation of a Clark County Citizens ADA Advisory Committee. The committee is comprised of four county residents; a Clark County Community Development plans examiner and the Clark County ADA Compliance Officer. The Clark County Facilities Maintenance manager provides additional technical insight and estimates associated plan costs.
The Citizens ADA Advisory Committee meets on a monthly basis. Accessibility surveys are prioritized and scheduled for review based on the amount of citizen use. The accessibility surveys are photographic montages of areas of concern accompanied by applicable sections of the International Building Code and/or the American National Standard ICC/ANSI A117.1-2003 "Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities". It is understood by the Committee that Clark County reserves the right to commit funding and schedule barrier removal projects as it deems necessary.
The accessibility surveys are made available to the public on the Clark County web page under the Americans with Disabilities Act index. Citizens may make comments on the plan to the Clark County ADA Compliance Office.
Infrastructure Summary
Clark County has remodeled or constructed many new facilities on the downtown government campus as well as other facilities located throughout the County. These buildings were constructed or remodeled pursuant to applicable state and local building codes and meet accessibility requirements; though in some cases, minor adjustments are needed.
However, many county buildings were constructed prior to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. These structures were not originally designed pursuant to accessibility codes. While facilities constructed in more recent years have differing degrees of accessibility, various features within them may be deficient as a result of changing code provisions. Numerous structures, however, have undergone remodel and alterations and consequently do comply more fully with current building code and accessibility standards.
Additional work is needed to remove the remaining obstacles to program accessibility found among county buildings such as restrooms, telephones, drinking fountains, signage, truncated domes, parks, parking and other specialized use areas. Costs to remove these barriers are summarized in each of survey reports.
Funding
2007-2008 budget - $200,000.00 has been allocated for building accessibility improvements.
Costs in parenthesis are from alternate funding sources.
Priority |
Building - Facility | Anticipated Completion Date |
Estimated Costs |
Project Status |
| Amphitheater | ||||
| Amphitheater - Parking Lot | ||||
8 |
Center for Community Health - 1st Floor | 12 - 2007 |
10.000 |
|
9 |
Center for Community Health - 2nd Floor | 12 - 2007 |
20,000 |
|
10 |
Center for Community Health - 3rd and 4th Floors | 12 - 2007 |
0.00 |
|
| Center for Community Health - Harm Reduction Center | 10-2007 |
(1000) |
||
| Center for Community Health - Parking Lot & Accessible Routes | (58,888) |
Completed | ||
| Center for Community Health - Stevenson, WA | ||||
| Art Curtis Children's Justice Center | ||||
| Child Support Office - Prosecuting Attorney’s Office - Landlord completed upgrades | (4500) |
Completed | ||
| Community Corrections - Mabry Center | ||||
| Community Services - Battle Ground | New Building |
Completed | ||
| Community Services - Washougal | ||||
2 |
Courthouse | 09-2007 |
10,000 |
|
| District Court - Camas Court | ||||
| Dolle Building | ||||
| Elections and Auto License Building (1408 Franklin Street) | 09-2007 |
3,000 |
||
| Exhibition Center (See Fairgrounds) - Improvements will include installation of five additional automatic doors | 07-2007 |
9973.34/(1000) |
Completed | |
| Fairgrounds | ||||
| Fairgrounds – Equestrian Center Restroom | (139,000) |
Completed | ||
| Franklin Building - Prosecuting Attorney Offices - 15,000 allocated for construction of accessible ramp into the main entrance of the Franklin Building | ||||
7 |
Juvenile Justice Center - 15,000 allocated for sidewalk improvements - General Fund | 07-2008 |
20,000/(15,000) |
|
6 |
Law Enforcement Center - Architectural services will be acquired to assess accessibility issues into the east entrance of the Law Enforcement Center. The existing ramps, constructed prior to 1990, exceed ADA slope specifications and corrective measures will entail significant construction and cost. | 12-2007 |
30,000 |
|
| Lewis and Clark Railroad Depot - Moulton Falls Depot | ||||
| Lewis and Clark Railroad Depot – Yacolt Depot | ||||
5 |
Public Service Center - Architectural services will be acquired to evaluate construction of sidewalk/street barrier devices. | 09-2007 |
50,000 |
|
4 |
Public Service Center - Accessible Entrances | 09-2007 |
6,000 |
|
3 |
Public Service Center - Parking Facility | 09-2007 |
6,000 |
|
| Public Works - Operations Center | ||||
| Public Works - Salmon Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant | ||||
| Sheriff’s Office - Central Precinct | ||||
| Public Works - Salmon Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant | ||||
|
Sheriff's Office - West Precinct |
||||
| Tri-Mountain Golf Course | ||||
| Youth House | ||||
| Public Works - Salmon Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant | ||||
| Vancouver/Clark Parks Department | ||||
1 |
Lewisville Park - Island Bridges | 07-2007 |
15,000 |
Alternate Formats - Contact the Clark County ADA Compliance Office - 1300 Franklin Street Vancouver, WA 98666-5000. Main phone: (360) 397-2025; Speech-to-Speech Relay Service: (800) 833-6384; Fax: (360) 397-6165
