Americans With Disabilities Act Information

Notice Under the Americans With Disabilities Act

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities.

Employment: OPERS 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.

Effective Communication: OPERS will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in the 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: OPERS 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. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in OPERS offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.

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 of OPERS, should contact Diana Byrd, ADA Coordinator for employment issues at (405) 858-6706, email dbyrd@opers.ok.gov, or Stephanie White, ADA Coordinator for member and public relations issues at (405) 858-6768, email swhite@opers.ok.gov, as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require OPERS 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 an OPERS program, service, or activity is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to:

Diana Byrd, ADA Coordinator
Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System
5400 N. Grand Blvd., Suite 400
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Phone: (405) 858-6706
Email: dbyrd@opers.ok.gov

OPERS 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.

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 on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). OPERS Equal Employment Opportunity policy governs employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.

The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date of and description of the problem. 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 complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

Diana Byrd, ADA Coordinator
Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System
5400 N. Grand Blvd., Suite 400
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Phone: (405) 858-6706
Email: dbyrd@opers.ok.gov

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, Diana Byrd or her designee, will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, Diana Byrd or her designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of OPERS and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by Diana Byrd or her designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to Dessa Baker, OPERS General Counsel, or her designee.

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

All written complaints received by Diana Byrd or her designee, appeals to Dessa Baker or her designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by OPERS for at least three years.