NEW LONDON, Conn. — Sound Community Services, Inc., a behavioral health provider located on Montauk Avenue in New London, has reached a settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to resolve complaints that the company wasn’t complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, an individual with a disability filed an ADA complaint alleging that Sound Community made them feel unwelcome because of their service animal.
The complainant says that the health provider requested a license and vaccination record for their service animal and, in one instance, refused to arrange transportation because of their service animal.
Following the settlement agreement, Sound Community must post signage indicating “Service Animals Welcome,” put in place a Service Animal Policy that is ADA-consistent and provide its staff with training. Sound Community must also pay the complainant compensation if the complaint signs a release.
Federal law mandates that private entities that own or operate places of “public accommodation” are not allowed to discriminate based on disability. This includes private health care facilities such as Sound Community.
Under the obligation, public facilities can’t discriminate against people with disabilities who have service animals and must make reasonable changes to their policies, practices and procedures to arrange for equal access for those individuals. More information about the ADA and service animals can be found here.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery did point out in the release that the owners of Sound Community have worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to quickly make changes to comply with the ADA without litigation.
Any individual who seeks to file a complaint alleging that a place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities can contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-696-3000.
More information about the ADA can be found here, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800_) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws enforced by it can be found here.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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