As Part of the Settlement, the Town Improved Physical Accessibility to Town Hall Building for
Individuals with Disabilities, U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that the Town of Glen Alpine
has remedied several violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that
individuals with disabilities have equal access to its Town Hall building. The resolution is part of
the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to ensure that civic institutions comply with the ADA.
The United States Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are responsible for
enforcing the ADA, which prohibits the failure to make reasonable modifications where those
modifications are necessary to make services available to individuals with disabilities. Under Title II
of the ADA and its regulations, state and local governments are required to remove barriers for
individuals with disabilities.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office initiated an investigation following a complaint filed with the U.S.
Department of Justice, claiming that the Town of Glen Alpine violated the ADA by failing to
provide reasonable accommodations to permit access to its Town Hall for residents with disabilities.
The Town of Glen Alpine cooperated with the investigation and has resolved the ADA violations in
accordance with the law, regulations, and the 2010 ADA Standards of Accessible Design. The
modifications include: (1) an accessible parking space at the front of the town hall adjacent to a
ramp and an accessible sign mounted at least 60” from the ground; (2) the town hall now has a
smooth and unobstructed ramp with ADA compliant handrails on each side; (3) there is a doorbell at
the accessible entrance; (4) the interior route from the accessible entrance is clear and unobstructed;
(5) insulation was added to the exposed pipes in each bathroom; and (6) the Town added Braille
signage to the conference room where its meetings are held. In addition, new ADA compliant ramps
were also added to the stage and gazebo bringing them into ADA compliance among other
modifications.
“My office is committed to enforcing the ADA and protecting all civil rights in this District,” said
U.S. Attorney King, who also leads the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Civil Rights.
“Individuals with disabilities have a right to equal access to government services and should not be
deprived from accessing those services due to lack of reasonable modifications. I want to thank the
citizen who brought this matter to our attention, and I am pleased that the Town of Glen Alpine also
prioritizes the needs of its residents and compliance with federal law. With these remedies, each
resident and visitor can fully enjoy and utilize the services of the town, especially on the 4th of July.”