Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in a proceeding, you are entitled to be provided with certain assistance at no cost to you. Please contact the ADA Coordinator, Alachua County Family and Civil Justice Center, 201 East University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601 (352-337-6237) at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days. If you are hearing or voice-impaired, call 1-800-955-8770 via Florida Relay Service.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing and require an ASL interpreter or an assisted listening device to participate in a proceeding, please contact Court Interpreting at interpreter@circuit8.org
Requesting an Accommodation
Eighth Judicial Circuit
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Requesting an Accommodation
If you are an individual with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to participate in a court proceeding or other court service, program, or activity, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Requests for accommodations may be presented on this form, in another written format, or orally.
Requests may be submitted by using the form available; via email to ada@circuit8.org; by mail to ADA Coordinator, Alachua County Courthouse, 201 East University Avenue, Room 410, Gainesville, Florida 32601; or orally by phone at 352-337-6237. Please make request as far in advance as possible, but preferably at least seven (7) days before your scheduled court appearance or other court activity. If you are hearing or voice impaired please call 711.
ADA Accommodations Provided by Florida Courts
Pursuant to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Florida State Courts System will make reasonable modifications in aids and services as appropriate and necessary. Examples of auxiliary aids or services that the State Courts System may provide for qualified individuals with disabilities include:
- Assistive listening devices
- Qualified American Sign Language (ASL) or other types of interpreters for persons with hearing loss
- Communication access real-time translation / real-time transcription services
- Qualified readers
ADA Accommodations Not Provided by Florida Courts
Examples of aids or services the Florida State Courts System cannot provide include:
- Transportation to and from the courthouse
- Legal counsel or advice
- An official transcript of a court proceeding
- Personal devices such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, or prescription eyeglasses
- Personal services such as medical or attendant care
- Readers for personal use or study
Additionally, the courts cannot administratively grant, as an ADA accommodation, requests that impact court procedures within a specific case. Requests for an extension of time, a change of venue, or participation in court proceedings by telephone or videoconferencing must be submitted by written motion to the presiding judge as part of the case. The judge may consider an individual’s disability, along with other relevant factors, in granting or denying the motion.
Furthermore, the court cannot exceed the law in granting a request for an accommodation. For example, the court cannot extend the statute of limitations for filing an action because someone claims that he or she could not make it to the court on time due to a disability, nor can the court modify the terms of agreements among parties as an ADA accommodation. The ADA does not require the court system to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of court programs, services, or activities, or that would impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the courts.
Documentation of the Need for Auxiliary Aids and Services
If an individual has a disability that is not obvious, or when it is not readily apparent how a requested accommodation relates to an individual’s impairment, it may be necessary for the court to require the individual to provide documentation from a qualified health care provider in order for the court to fully and fairly evaluate the accommodation request. These information requests will be limited to documentation that (a) establishes the existence of a disability; (b) identifies the individual’s functional limitations; and (c) describes how the requested accommodation addresses those limitations. Any cost to obtain such documentation is the obligation of the person requesting the accommodation.
Grievance Procedure
Eighth Judicial Circuit
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Grievance Procedure
- Complaints shall be filed with the ADA Coordinator no later than one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of the alleged violation. The filing deadline may be extended upon a showing of good cause.
- The ADA Coordinator will determine which function of the court is at issue: facilities, programs, services, benefits, or activities.
- The ADA Coordinator will notify the Chief Judge, the Court Administrator, and the county government of the complaint as soon as practical.
- A team consisting of at least three (3) people shall address the complaint. This team shall consist, at a minimum, of a judge, the ADA coordinator, and an independent party not employed by the court. A person who is charged in the complaint with alleged discriminatory conduct shall not be a member of the team.
- The team shall consult representatives from county government entities in the resolution of the grievance when the complaint involves a court facility, program, service, benefit, or activity that is under the authority or is provided by county government.
- The team, or a member of the team, will review the complaint with the complainant. The team, or a member of the team, will interview witnesses who can provide supportive or relevant information and complete the fact finding process.
- The team, or a member of the team, shall determine the legal sufficiency of the complaint. In making this determination, the team shall consider a consultation with the Office of the State Courts Administrator, Department of Legal Affairs and Education.
- If a complaint is legally deficient, the grievance process shall be brought to a close immediately. If a complaint is legally sufficient, the team will establish a course of action to resolve the grievance.
- To the extent necessary, the court may make reasonable modifications to its programs, services, benefits, and activities in order to ensure future compliance with the ADA.
- When appropriate, and to the extent necessary, the court may work with county government to make reasonable modifications to court facilities, programs, services, benefits, Administrative Order No. 1.595(B) Page 4 – ADA Grievance Procedure and Court Notices and activities that are under the authority of, or provided by, county government to ensure future compliance with the ADA.
- The court may invoke the course of action described in the regulations implementing the ADA (28 CFR sec.35.164) when modifications would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a service, program, or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens.
- The ADA Coordinator shall communicate the results of the investigation and the chosen course of action to the complainant not later than thirty (30) working days from the date the complaint is filed.
- A record of the grievance shall be maintained for three (3) years. The record shall be located with the ADA Coordinator.
A complainant shall use the recommended Statement of Grievance on file with the Court Administrator’s Office. If the complainant cannot write, then staff will assist the complainant in filling out the form. The Statement of Grievance form shall contain the following minimum information:
- Name, address, and telephone number of the complainant on whose behalf the complaint is being made,
- The court facility in which the violation is alleged to have occurred,
- A complete statement of the grievance and the facts upon which it is based,
- The desired remedy or solution requested, and
- The names of any witnesses who can provide supportive or related information.
