Vanessa Roberts Avery, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced a settlement agreement with Sound Community Services, Inc., a behavioral health provider in New London. The agreement resolves allegations that the company was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
The settlement addresses an ADA complaint from an individual with a disability who claimed they felt unwelcome at Sound Community due to their service animal. The complaint included incidents where Sound Community requested a license and vaccination record for the service animal and refused transportation services on one occasion because of it.
As part of the settlement, Sound Community will post signs indicating “Service Animals Welcome,” implement an ADA-consistent Service Animal Policy, and provide staff training. Additionally, they must compensate the complainant if a release is signed.
Federal law prohibits private entities operating places of public accommodation, such as private healthcare facilities, from discriminating based on disability. Public accommodations must not discriminate against individuals with disabilities who have service animals and must make reasonable modifications to ensure equal access.
U.S. Attorney Avery stated that Sound Community’s owners cooperated promptly with her office to address ADA issues without litigation.
Members of the public wishing to file complaints about accessibility issues in Connecticut can contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-696-3000. More information about the ADA is available at www.ada.gov or through the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (800) 514-0383 (TTY). Details about the Civil Rights Division are available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stewart C. Dearing handled this matter.
