Notice under The Americans with Disabilities Act
In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the Indiana Supreme Court will not discriminate against qualified individuals with either physical or mental disabilities in its services, programs, or activities.
Employment:
The Indiana Supreme Court 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 Indiana Supreme court 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 Indiana Supreme Court'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 Indiana Supreme Court 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 the Indiana Supreme Court's 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 Indiana Supreme Court should contact the office of the ADA Coordinator as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.
The ADA does not require the Indiana Supreme Court 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 Indiana Supreme Court is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the ADA Coordinator:
Heather Falks
ADA Coordinator for Indiana Supreme Court
Office of Judicial Administration, Office of Personnel & Operations
251 N. Illinois Street, Suite 1600
Indianapolis, IN 46204
heather.falks@courts.in.gov
The Indiana Supreme Court 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.
ADA Accommodations for other Indiana Courts
Indiana Courts are committed to providing all people with equal access to the courts. To this end, it strives to make reasonable accommodations for court users with disabilities consistent with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Indiana Code 34-45-1-3 which provides, "Every person who cannot speak or understand the English language or who because of hearing, speaking or other impairment has difficult in communicating with other persons, and who is a party to or a witness in a civil proceeding is entitled to an interpreter to assist the person throughout the proceeding."
If you have a disability and anticipate needing an accommodation, please contact the bailiff of the the court in which the proceeding is taking place. It is recommended that you make your request at least 10 days prior to the date you need your accommodation, if possible. All requests for accommodation will be given due consideration and if necessary may require an interactive process between the requester and the court to determine the best course of action.
If you believe your request for accommodation to your local court has been denied and you have been excluded from participating in any court program because of this denial, you may contact the ADA Coordinator for Indiana Supreme Court. The Indiana Supreme Court ADA Coordinator does not have any authority over the individual trial courts and cannot mandate that the trial courts provide any specific accommodation; however, if you report a concern related to a denied accommodation, the Coordinator will make an effort to assist you if possible.