AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (TITLE II) POLICY 

he Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania (UJS) complies with Title II of the 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which provides that “no qualified 
individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from 
participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities 
of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity”.  42 
U.S.C.A. §12132.  Pursuant to that requirement, if you are an individual with a 
disability who needs an accommodation in order to participate in any service, 
program, or activity of the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts, 
("AOPC"), you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain 
assistance.  The ADA does not require the AOPC to take any action that would 
fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue 
financial or administrative burden. 
  
If you require an accommodation under the ADA, it is recommended that you 
make your request as soon as possible or at least three (3) business days 
before your scheduled participation in any AOPC program or activity.  All 
requests for accommodation, regardless of timeliness, will be given due 
consideration and if necessary, may require an interactive process between the 
requestor and the AOPC to determine the best course of action.  
  
To request a reasonable accommodation, please complete AOPC's Request for 
Reasonable Accommodation Form and return it to: 
 

Marisa Lehr, Esq. 
ADA Coordinator, AOPC 
P.O Box 61260 
Harrisburg, PA 17106-1260 
717-231-3300 (phone) 
717-231-3327 (fax) 
marisa.lehr@pacourts.us   

f you need assistance completing this form, contact the ADA Coordinator.   
Complaints alleging violations of Title II under the ADA may be filed pursuant to 
the UJS Grievance Procedure with Marisa Lehr, ADA Coordinator.  A response 
will be sent to you after careful review of the facts. 

 

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Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II) Grievance Procedure  

his grievance procedure is established for the prompt resolution of complaints 

alleging any violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 
the provision of services, programs, or activities by the Administrative Office of 
the Pennsylvania Courts ("AOPC").  If you require a reasonable accommodation 
to complete this form, or need this form in an alternate format, please contact 
Marisa Lehr, AOPC, P.O. Box 61260, Harrisburg, PA 17106-1260, 
marisa.lehr@pacourts.us, 717-231-3300. 

o file a complaint under the Grievance Procedure please take the following 

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steps: 
 

1.  Complete the complaint form and return to Marisa Lehr, ADA 

Coordinator, contact information noted above.  Alternative means of 
filing complaints will be made available for persons with disabilities 
upon request.  The complaint should be submitted as soon as possible 
but no later than sixty (60) calendar days after the alleged violation. 
 

2.  Within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt of the complaint, Marisa 

Lehr, ADA Coordinator, or her designee, will investigate the complaint, 
including meeting with the individual seeking an accommodation, 
either in person or via telephone, to discuss the complaint and the 
possible resolutions.  Within fifteen (15) calendar days of the meeting, 
Marisa Lehr, ADA Coordinator, or her designee will respond in writing, 
and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, 
such as large print, Braille, or audio.  The response will explain the 
position of the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts and 
offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint. 

.  If the response to the complaint does not satisfactorily resolve the 
issue, the complainant may appeal the decision within fifteen (15) 
calendar days after receipt of the response to the Court Administrator, 
or his or her designee. Within fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt of 
the appeal, the Court Administrator or his or her designee will meet 
with the appellant, either in person or via telephone, to discuss the 
complaint and possible resolutions. Within fifteen (15) calendar days 
of this meeting, the Court Administrator or his or her designee will 

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respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to 
the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.  

his grievance procedure is informal.  An individual’s participation in this 

informal process is completely voluntary.  Use of this grievance procedure is not 
a prerequisite to and does not preclude a complainant from pursuing other 
remedies available under law. 

he UJS Policy on Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity also 

encompasses disability-related issues and provides complaint procedures for 
UJS court users.  Any employment-related disability discrimination complaints 
will be governed by the UJS Policy on Nondiscrimination and Equal 
Employment Opportunity. 

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