Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility

Curb Ramp, Ped Call Button, Accessibility Parking

Right-of-Way ADA Transition Plan was adopted by Kenmore City Council at the June 13, 2022 regular meeting. (Image above from page 6 of the Plan)

The ADA Transition Plan is located in the Documents box in the navigation panel on this page

ADA Background Information

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) enacted on July 26, 1990, and as amended, provides comprehensive civil rights protections to persons with disabilities in the areas of employment, state and local government services (public services), public accommodation by private entities, telecommunications, and other public accommodations provided by private and public entities.. The ADA is a companion civil rights legislation with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This legislation mandates that qualified disabled individuals shall not be excluded from participation in, denied the benefit of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity.

The ADA is divided into five parts, covering the following areas:
Title I: EMPLOYMENT
Title II: PUBLIC SERVICES
Title III: PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS
Title IV: TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Title V: MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

DEFINITION OF DISABILITY
In the ADA, the term “disability” means, with respect to an individual:
1) A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual;
2) A record of such an impairment; or
3) Being regarded as having such an impairment.
If an individual meets any one of these three tests, he or she is considered to be an individual with a disability for purposes of coverage under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Final Rules of the ADA (see link under Resources at bottom of the page) describe in greater detail the conditions included and excluded as disabilities under the ADA, and these rules should be referred to if more detailed descriptions of covered disabilities is desired.

Title II of the ADA Act covers public services and applies to the City of Kenmore.

Title II: Public Services

The City Engineer and the Public Works Engineering division of the City of Kenmore focus on Title II, Public Services. Title II prohibits state and local governments from discriminating against persons with disabilities or from excluding participation in or denying benefits of programs, services, or activities to persons with disabilities. This title dictates that a public entity must evaluate its services, programs, policies, and practices to determine whether they are in compliance with the nondiscrimination regulations of the ADA. To comply with this requirement, the City conducted an inventory of its facilities within the right of way. With this information and input gathered from the public, the ADA Transition Plan was created. The ADA Transition Plan identifies facilities that are not in compliance with ADA accessibility guidelines, identifies how those facilities can be made compliant, and establishes prioritization for bringing the facilities into compliance.

The Right-of-Way ADA Transition Plan was adopted by the Kenmore City Council at the June 13, 2022 meeting and can be found in the Document Box on this page.

To file a grievance related to City of Kenmore ADA policy, or to ask questions or report concerns, please visit the City of Kenmore Report-A-Concern webpage.

ADA Accessibility and ADA Transition Plan

Right-of-Way ADA Transition Plan is now available!

The City of Kenmore Right-of-Way ADA Transition Plan describes existing pedestrian facilities (sidewalks, ramps, pedestrian pushbuttons, crosswalks and parking) and outlines recommended mobility improvements. City staff members conducted an inventory of current pedestrian facilities (sidewalks, ramps, pedestrian signals, etc.) throughout the city to find gaps in and barriers to accessibility. In addition, the City gathered feedback via an online survey to better understand user experiences and areas of concern.

The Right-of-Way ADA Transition Plan was adopted by the Kenmore City Council at the June 13, 2022 meeting and can be viewed here.

To file a grievance related to City of Kenmore ADA policy, or to ask questions or report concerns, please visit the City of Kenmore Report-A-Concern webpage.

ADA and Local Transit

To learn more about local transit, please visit the City's Transportation Options webpage.

Local transit options include:

Sound Transit and King County Metro buses
Community Van - a rideshare program utilizing volunteer drivers
Community Ride - on-demand flexible-route transit service in the Juanita area, including south Kenmore
Rideshare Carpool and Vanpool - tool for sharing rides with other commuters
Metro ADA Paratransit - eligibility is based on your ability to use regular transit options

The Transportation Options page includes links to access each program.

ADA Nondiscrimination Statements

In accordance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), the City of Kenmore will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Employment: The City of Kenmore does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title I of the ADA.

Accessibility: The City of Kenmore will generally provide pedestrian accessibility to all new public facilities including sidewalks, parks, and other City owned facilities. Existing infrastructure shall be upgraded as required to the maximum extent practical to meet standard guidelines in accordance with the City’s ADA Transition Plan. The City of Kenmore follows the 2011 Public Rights of Way Accessibility Guidelines for City streets and follows the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design for parks and facilities.

Effective Communication: The City of Kenmore will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they may participate equally in The City of Kenmore sponsored programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The City of Kenmore will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a program, service, or activity sponsored by the City of Kenmore, should contact the City of Kenmore’s ADA Coordinator as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the City of Kenmore to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

Complaints that a program, service, or activity sponsored by the City of Kenmore is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the City of Kenmore’s Report a Concern.

The City of Kenmore will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids/services or reasonable modifications of policy, such as retrieving items from locations that are open to the public but are not accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.

Additional Resources:

Federal government ADA website can be found at https://www.ada.gov/

Final Rules of the ADA can be found at https://www.ada.gov/regs2016/adaaa.html

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Civil Rights Guidance, Resources and Useful Links can be found at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/civilrights/programs/ada/resources.cfm

Report a concern about City of Kenmore pedestrian facilities at https://www.kenmorewa.gov/i-want-to/report-a-concern