Notice Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

Georgia Student Finance Commission 

Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission 

Notice Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), Georgia Student Finance Commission and Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (each, an “Agency”) will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Employment: 

Agency does not discriminate based on 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. 

Effective Communications: 

Agency will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in Agency’s 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: 

Agency will make reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in all 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 offered by Agency should contact the ADA Coordinator named below as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require Agency 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 of Agency is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to the ADA Coordinator identified below.

Agency 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.

Agency ADA Coordinator:

GSFC Director of Human Resources 

Georgia Student Finance Commission 

2082 E. Exchange Place Tucker, GA 30084 

Phone: (770) 724-9007 

Email: [email protected]

 

Grievance Procedure under the Americans with Disabilities Act

This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination based on disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (“GSFC”) and Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (“GNPEC”), each an “Agency.” Each Agency’s personnel policies, in addition to applicable federal and state law, also govern employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.

Procedures

Step 1: Informal discussion (Optional)

Complainant concerns may first be discussed with the complainants’ immediate Agency supervisor. Many concerns can be resolved informally with a review of the concern and a discussion to address the issue. Supervisors are encouraged to work with employees to reach an acceptable resolution. Discussions must be concluded within 30 days after the alleged violation to ensure the complainant has sufficient time to file a written complaint as set forth below.

If the complainant’s complaint is regarding illegal harassment, discrimination, or retaliation, or at the preference of the complainant, the complainant should bypass Step 1 and submit a written complaint directly to the HR ADA Coordinator as set forth below.

Step 2: Written complaint

If the complainant is not satisfied with the results of the informal discussion in Step 1, a complaint should be submitted by the complainant and/or designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

GSFC Director of Human Resources 

Georgia Student Finance Commission 

2082 E. Exchange Place Tucker, GA 30084 

Phone: (770) 724-9007 

Email: [email protected]

The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as: 

  • name,
  • address,
  • phone number of complainants,
  • location,
  • date,
  • nature of the grievance,
  • detailed information including evidence of the issue,
  • witnesses,
  • related policies etc., and
  • the remedy or outcome desired.

Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

The HR ADA Coordinator will have 15 calendar days to respond to the complainant in writing or in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the Agency and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint, if required.

Step 3: Written complaint to General Counsel

If the complainant is not satisfied with the response from the HR ADA Coordinator, the complainant may submit a written appeal to the GSFC General Counsel for review within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response. A copy should also be sent to the ADA Coordinator. The request for review should include: 

  • An explanation of the grievance and details of all previous efforts to resolve the issue.
  • A copy of the written complaint submitted to the HR ADA Coordinator.
  • A copy of the HR ADA Coordinator’s written response to the complainant’s complaint.
  • Detailed information regarding the reason for appealing the matter to the GSFC General Counsel.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the GSFC General Counsel or his or her designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the GC General Counsel or his or her designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

Recordkeeping 

All written complaints received by the HR ADA Coordinator or designee, appeals to the GSFC General Counsel or designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the Agency for at least three years.