Justice Department Signs Agreement with Glynn County, Georgia, to Ensure Civic Access for Persons with Disabilities

Justice Department Signs Agreement with Glynn County, Georgia, to Ensure Civic
Access for Persons with Disabilities

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Justice Department today
announced a settlement agreement with Glynn County, Ga., to improve access to
all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities. The agreement was
reached under "Project Civic Access," a Justice Department initiative to bring
state and local governments into compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). The Glynn County agreement is the 170th reached under
Project Civic Access and the ninth this year.

Project Civic Access was initiated to ensure that people with disabilities
have an equal opportunity to participate in civic life. As part of the
project, department investigators, attorneys and architects survey state and
local government facilities and programs in various locations throughout the
country to identify modifications to programs and facilities necessary to
comply with ADA requirements. Depending on the circumstances in each
community, the agreements address specific areas where access can be improved.

"Recognizing that civic access is a civil right, Glynn County has agreed to
make improvements that will provide the full array of civic opportunities to
county residents and visitors with disabilities," said Thomas E. Perez,
Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. "We applaud Glynn
County for entering into this agreement that will further the rights and
opportunities of individuals with disabilities."

Glynn County is located in the southeast corner of Georgia. More than 11,000
of the county's 73,000 residents are individuals with disabilities. The
county seat is in Brunswick, and the county also includes St. Simons Island,
Blythe Island and Jekyll Island. As a coastal city, Glynn County offers many
outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors, including
boating, hiking, biking and bird watching.

Under the agreement, the county will:
-- Make physical modifications to its facilities so that parking, routes
into buildings, entrances, public telephones, restrooms, service
counters and drinking fountains are accessible to people with
disabilities;
-- Continue to ensure that the 9-1-1 emergency service TTY calls are
answered as quickly and effectively as other calls;
-- Ensure that the county's official Web site is accessible to persons
with
disabilities, including individuals who are blind or have low vision;
-- Ensure equal access to all aspects of the county's emergency
management
programs for persons with disabilities, including emergency
preparation,
notification, evacuation, sheltering, response and recovery; and

-- Implement a plan regarding the accessibility of sidewalks and curb
ramps
throughout the county.

Today's agreement was reached under Title II of the ADA, which prohibits
discrimination against individuals with disabilities by state and local
governments. The agreement will remain in effect for five years or until the
parties agree that all actions required by the agreement have been completed,
whichever is later.

People interested in finding out more about the ADA, today's agreement with
Glynn County, or the department's Project Civic Access initiative can access
the ADA home page at http://www.ada.gov or call the toll-free ADA Information
Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TTY).

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice, +1-202-616-2777, TDD (202) 514-1888