Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and State law require all state and local entities, including the courts, to provide reasonable accommodations for the needs of persons with disabilities.
• The ADA benefits people who have an interest in court activities, programs and services.
• In 1996 the Judicial Council of California, the policy-making body for the courts, adopted California Rules of Court, rule 1.100 to implement the ADA in the state court system.
• Under the ADA, State laws, and the court rule, a person is entitled to an accommodation if he or she is a person with a disability. This means the person has a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded of having such impairment.

How do I request accommodations?

• It is the individual’s responsibility to contact the court to request accommodations that would best suit his or her situation.
• The individual may request an accommodation by completing the Request for Accommodations by Persons with Disabilities (Judicial Council Form MC-410) or by other means, and provide the request to court staff. If the individual is involved in more than one case, they must submit a separate request (MC-410 form) for each case.
• The individual should give the court at least five working days notice whenever possible.
• For certain types of accommodation, such as an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, the court must have adequate advance notice in order to provide the accommodation.
• The court may grant, modify or deny the request. Open new window link for MC410.pdf document.
• The information presented will be kept confidential unless ordered released by a judicial officer, or a written waiver of confidentiality is received from the requestor.
• The court will evaluate all requests to make reasonable modifications to its policies, practices, and procedures when these modifications are necessary to avoid discriminating against a person because of a disability.
• Service animals are permitted in court facilities. The ADA defines service animals as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.
• Please see the link on this page to access the Request for Accommodations by Persons with Disabilities (MC-410 form).

Telephone Contacts

If a person needing an ADA accommodation contacts the court by telephone to request that a matter be scheduled, he/she must specify during that telephone conversation the accommodation he/she needs.

This communication is necessary even if there is an ongoing ADA accommodation granted in the case, as the person answering the phone call may not be aware of the ongoing accommodation.

This is particularly important in ex-parte hearings, which are scheduled on an expedited basis.