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 Delaware Judiciary will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities based on their disability in its services, programs, or activities.
Please click on the menu topic below and it will expand with more information.
expand all topics | close all topicsAccommodation requests are granted to any qualified person with a disability for whom such an accommodation is reasonable and necessary under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Delaware Judiciary 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 Delaware Judiciary’s programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.
The ADA does not require the Delaware Judiciary to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
The Delaware Judiciary 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.
You should request an accommodation as far as possible in advance of your court appearance or other court activity, as it may take up to 15 business days to process a request. However, a response to an immediate need for accommodation will be considered to the fullest extent possible.
After completing and submitting the request form below, a court representative (“Court ADA Coordinator”) will confirm its receipt as soon as possible but no later than 5 business days after it is submitted. The Court ADA Coordinator will inform you if the request has been approved, denied, or granted with a modification as soon as possible but no later than 15 business days from the date the request was submitted.
Accommodations that impact proceedings may need to be decided by the judicial officer overseeing your case or filed with the court. Examples of these types of requests include, but are not limited to, extensions of time or adjournments, the presence or absence of other persons in the courtroom, or modifications in the way testimony is to be given. If your request includes an accommodation that must be filed with the court, the Court ADA Coordinator will let you know.
The Judicial Branch is not required to provide the following:
- Personal devices, such as wheelchairs or canes.
- Prescribed items, such as hearing aids or eyeglasses.
- Personal services, such as medical or attendant care.
- Legal advice.
- An attorney or official court transcript, unless there is a legal or financial needs basis for a court-appointed attorney or official court transcript.
Service animals are allowed in judicial branch facilities, but emotional support/comfort animals are not permitted unless it is through a court sponsored program.
Request for Reasonable ADA Accommodations
All fields are required unless noted as optional or if applicable.
If you have questions about this form, need help filling out this form, or need to make your request in another format, e-mail, mail, or call the individual court or jury services in the county in which you are requesting the accommodation. Phone and mailing address can be found on the Hours and Locations section of this website.
ADA accommodation email contact: InfoADA@delaware.gov.
If your accommodation request has been modified or denied you are allowed to ask for another review of your request.
This process is not to be used by Judicial Branch employees. Personnel rules and policies govern employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.
Complete and submit the Grievance Form and include the reasons why you believe the request decision should be reviewed. Alternative means of filing a grievance, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.
You should submit the Grievance Form as soon as possible but no later than 10 business days after you receive the decision that your request was modified or denied. The 10 business days filing period may be extended by the Court ADA Coordinator for good cause shown.
Within 10 business days from the date of submission of your Grievance Form, the Court ADA Coordinator will contact you to confirm receipt and request any additional information. Within 30 calendar days from the date of submission of your Grievance Form, the ADA Coordinator will respond in writing or in a format accessible to you. The response will explain why the original decision is being affirmed, modified, or reversed.
If the Court ADA Coordinator’s response does not satisfactorily resolve the grievance you filed, you may appeal the grievance decision to the Administrative Office of the Courts (“AOC”) by completing and submitting the Appeal Form. This must be done within 10 business days of the date you received the grievance decision.
Within 10 business days from the date of submission of your appeal, the AOC ADA Coordinator will contact you to confirm receipt and request any additional information. Within 30 calendar days from the date of submission of your appeal, the AOC ADA Coordinator will respond in writing or in a format accessible to you, with a final resolution of the grievance.
All written requests, grievances, and appeals responses will be retained by the Delaware Judiciary for at least three years.
The Delaware Capitol police have a facility/comfort dog available at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center on an as needed/request basis for vulnerable individuals in legal settings who may benefit from the support provided by a facility/comfort dog. To request the services of the facility dog, please fill out the facility dog request form.
Emotional support/comfort animals are not covered by the ADA, only service animals.
The Delaware Judiciary 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.
Employees in need of an accommodation should speak to their Human Resource Representative.
Please fill out the Delaware Courts Website Feedback Form to report an accessibility error or issue with a Delaware Judicial Branch digital asset. A digital asset could be a webpage, website, online form, document, social media post, or other content that is online. This form is submitted to the Judicial Information Center who reviews the information and works on a solution to the issue.
If you have not requested an accommodation but believe that you have been discriminated against on the basis of your disability, or you notice an accessibility issue with our facilities, court proceedings, or court services, please report this by email to InfoADA@delaware.gov or contact the Administrative Office of the Courts. Alternative means of filing a report, such as personal interviews or a tape recording, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.
When making a report, you should include your name, address, phone number, and a detailed description of the problem (date, time, location, nature of the incident or the accessibility issue, witnesses when applicable, and any personnel involved).
We will contact you if more information is needed to work on a solution.
Contact by e-mail
Contact by phone
Call and ask for the Court ADA Coordinator or Court Administrator. Individual court’s phone numbers are listed on the Hours and Locations section of this website.
Delaware TTY Relay Service- General: 7-1-1
- TTY English: 800-232-5460
- Voice Carry-Over (VCO): 877-335-7590 (877-DEL-RLY0)
- Spanish: 877-335-7595 (877-DEL-RLY5)
- Speech-to-Speech (STS) English and Spanish: 877-335-7274 (877-DEL-S2S4)
Contact by mail
Write to the attention of the Court ADA Coordinator/Court Administrator and mail to the individual court in the county in which services are requested.
Individual court’s mailing address information can be found on the Hours and Locations section of this website.
