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a confused man Which Complaint Procedure Applies to You


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"If something needs to be changed, who do I tell and how?"

The complaint procedure that you should follow will vary depending on your situation. The short answer is that you should start by complaining to the party that is most directly involved, which may be a business, a non-profit or a governmental organization. If you are unable to reach a satisfactory resolution using the direct route, you may then need to escalate your complaint using the legal remedies that are available to you.


The following section provides the basic guidelines that should help you decide which complaint procedure to use as you initiate a complaint about inaccessible technology. The decision logic that follows is divided into five general situations: telecommunications, employment-related technology, government-funded programs and activities, accommodations provided by the private sector, and television.

If you have a problem with inaccessible telecommunications equipment or services...

You may need to follow the complaint procedure for:

Review the following details to see which procedure applies to your situation.




If you are a consumer who has encountered
a telephone
that is provided by a business and
it is not compatible with your hearing aid
or does not have volume control
    Follow the complaint procedure for The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act




If you are a consumer who has encountered an
inaccessible telecommunications product or service
that is provided by a business
    Follow the complaint procedure for Section 255 of the Communications Act




If you are a person with a disability
and you are unable to access telecommunications relay services
    Follow the complaint procedure for ADA - Title IV




If you are an employee of the Federal government,
you have a disability,
and you cannot perform your job because of inaccessible technology,

or you are a member of the public with a disability
and you cannot access public information from the Federal government
because of inaccessible technology

(including via telecommunications),

and the technology was purchased by the government after June 21, 2001:
    Follow the complaint procedure for Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act




If you have a problem with inaccessible information or telecommunication technology on the job...

You may need to follow the complaint procedure for:
Review the following details to see which procedure applies to your situation.




If you are an employee of the Federal government,
you have a disability,
and you have encountered discrimination because
your job requires use of inaccessible technology
or you cannot enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment
because of inaccessible technology

or you are an applicant for a position in the Federal government
you have a disability,
and you have encountered discrimination
because the application process requires use of inaccessible technology
    Follow the complaint procedure for Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act




If you are an employee of the Federal government,
you have a disability,
and you cannot perform your job because of inaccessible technology,

(including via telecommunications),

and the technology was purchased by the government after June 21, 2001
    Follow the complaint procedure for Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act




If you are an employee of a state or local government,
you have a disability,
and you have encountered discrimination because
your job requires use of inaccessible technology
or you cannot enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment
because of inaccessible technology

or you are an applicant for a position in state or local government
you have a disability,
and you have encountered discrimination
because the application process requires use of inaccessible technology
    Follow the complaint procedure for ADA - Title I




If you are an employee of a business or non-profit organization
with at least 15 employees,
you have a disability,
and you have encountered discrimination because
your job requires use of inaccessible technology
or you cannot enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment
because of inaccessible technology

or you are an applicant for a position in a business or non-profit organization
with at least 15 employees,
you have a disability,
and you have encountered discrimination
because the application process requires use of inaccessible technology
    Follow the complaint procedure for ADA - Title I




If you have a problem with inaccessible information or telecommunication technology that supports government-funded programs or activities...

 You may need to follow the complaint procedure for:
Review the following details to see which procedure applies to your situation.




You are a person with a disability
and you are unable to use a program or activity that
receives Federal financial assistance
(such as those providing education, health care, housing,
social services, or parks and recreation)
because of inaccessible technology

or you are a person with a disability
and you are unable to use a program or activity that
is conducted by any Federal executive agency or
the United States Postal Service
because of inaccessible technology
    Follow the complaint procedure for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act




If you are an employee of the Federal government,
you have a disability,
and you cannot perform your job because of inaccessible technology,

or you are a member of the public with a disability
and you cannot access public information from the Federal government
because of inaccessible technology

(including via telecommunications),

and the technology was purchased by the government after June 21, 2001
    Follow the complaint procedure for Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act




If you are a person with a disability
and you are unable to use a program or activity
provided by a state or local government
because of inaccessible technology
    Follow the complaint procedure for ADA - Title II (State and Local Government Activities)




If you are a person with a disability
and you are unable to use public transportation
because of inaccessible technology
    Follow the complaint procedure for ADA - Title II (Public Transportation)




If you have a problem with inaccessible information or telecommunication technology that supports private sector accommodations...

You may need to follow the complaint procedure for:
Review the following details to see if the Title III procedure applies to your situation.




If you are a person with a disability
and you are unable to use public accommodations
(such as restaurants, retail stores, hotels, movie theaters, and private transportation)
because of inaccessible technology
    Follow the complaint procedure for ADA - Title III




If you have a problem with the accessibility of televised information...
You may need to follow the complaint procedure for:
Review the following details to see which procedure applies to your situation.




If you are a consumer who has encountered
a television that cannot decode or display closed captions
    Follow the complaint procedure for The Television Decoder Circuitry Act




If you are a consumer who has encountered
a television program with no captioning or poor captioning
    Follow the complaint procedure for Section 713 of the Communications Act




If you are a consumer who has encountered
televised information about an emergency situation
that is not accessible visually to people who cannot hear or
aurally to people who cannot see
    Follow the complaint procedure for Televised Emergency Programming





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Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access
Georgia Institute of Technology
490 10th Street NW · Atlanta, GA 30318
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