DOJ Settlement Calls for Illinois Belle-Clair Fairgrounds to Improve Accessibility for Disabled

WE’VE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS, NEVER HAD ANY COMPLAINTS. IT ENDED UP BEING ONE MAN, WHO WASN’T HAPPY, AND THAT STARTED THE BALL ROLLING.Kathy Weir, Belle Clair, IL. office manager(wow, and what year is this...)

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article37929639.html#storylink=cpy

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from a Press Release.

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Illinois

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, October 5, 2015

Settlement Agreement Reached to Aid in Access for Disabled

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on October 5, 2015, the United States Attorney’s Office and the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds and Expo Center have entered into a Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement was reached after the United States Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice investigated a complaint alleging Belle-Clair failed to remove barriers that prohibited persons with disabilities from participating in Grandstand activities.

Belle-Clair is committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities receive the full and equal enjoyment of its goods and services, as required by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In accordance with the Settlement Agreement, Belle-Clair agrees to undertake specific barrier removal throughout the Grandstand by September 30, 2017. Additionally, Belle-Clair will provide written notification to all vendors, lessees, and security staff that when the facility is open to the public, accessible parking spaces are available only to those vehicles with state-issued accessible vehicle tags, plates, or decals.

Persons who believe they have been excluded from participation in or been denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or been subjected to discrimination by any such entity due to their disability, or by certain private entities open to the public, may file a complaint, nationwide, online at www.ADA.gov or, within the Southern District of Illinois, by contacting the United States Attorney’s Office at 9 Executive Drive Fairview Heights, Illinois 62208.