Interpreters/Accessibility

Clark County Courts provides assitance to individuals who are deaf, hearing-impaired, or who do not understand or speak English. The office provides qualified professional interpreting services for virtually any language.

In addition the Courts provide assistance to individuals requiring special assistance to access the courts. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) the court provides equal access and reasonable accommodations to all deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing-impaired persons in all of its programs and services.

Internet Web site Accessibility

We are committed to making our web sites accessible for individuals with disabilities, both members of the public and employees. All of our sites are undergoing review and redesign as necessary to ensure that they meet requirements for Web-based Internet Information & Applications of Section 508 – Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Many of our web sites currently meet Section 508 accessibility standards. Furthermore, we continue to work towards making all of our web sites accessible. Thank you very much for your patience during this process.

Access to the Courts for those with Disabilities

The Division of Court Operations is responsible for addressing inquiries regarding concerns under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It assists the courts in assuring access to services and reasonable accommodations for court users and employees who qualify under the ADA. For further information or assistance, email: OOD@clarkcountycourts.us.

Questions and Answers

As defined by the ADA, a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity such as walking, seeing, hearing, learning, breathing, caring for oneself, or working. The ADA protects three classes of people with disabilities: those who have a disability; those who have a record of having a disability; and those who are regarded as having a disability, whether or not they actually have one, if their being perceived as having one results in discrimination.

The court has a key person who has been designated to help facilitate disability accommodation requests. This “ADA liaison” will accept contacts made in person, in writing or over the telephone from individuals with special needs for accommodation. To insure that the court will be able to make appropriate arrangements, requests should be made, whenever possible, well in advance of the court appearance date. Requests should be as specific as possible. In addition to the type of accommodation needed, please provide relevant information regarding the court appearance (i.e., court facility address, name of the case, name of the judge, part number, date of the appearance(s), and estimated length of the proceeding). For requests made in conjunction with jury service, please see the jury FAQ below.

The liaison, or other appropriate court personnel, will notify you if the court is able to provide the requested accommodation, or requires further information. The liaison may also, in consultation with the Court Executive Officer and the Clark County Courts Director of Court Operations, propose an alternative form of accommodation. If the court finds it necessary to deny the requested accommodation and an alternative cannot be mutually agreed upon, you will be provided with a written explanation for the denial. A final decision to deny an accommodation can only be made by an appropriate executive-level manager.

Juror questionnaires ask whether an accommodation will be needed. Once a prospective juror has identified him/herself as wanting an accommodation, the jury office reviews the request and provides such reasonable accommodation as will satisfy the need of the individual. In certain instances, the trial judge needs to make a ruling as to whether a particular juror, even if given an accommodation, is qualified to serve. For further assistance with jury services, email:Ejuror@clarkcountycourts.us

Service animals are welcome in all public areas of courthouse facilities. As defined in the ADA, these animals are individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. Therefore, service animals are classified as working animals, not pets. Though a person with a disability is not required to provide any verbal or written confirmation to establish the existence or extent of his or her disability, they may be asked certain questions regarding their service animal. Qualified individuals may be asked whether their animal is a service animal and, if so, what services it has been trained to provide. Service animals must be kept on a leash and be within the control of the individual with a disability at all times. For the security and safety of all court users, if at any time, the animal becomes unruly or aggressive, the court may ask that the animal be removed from the facility.

The court’s responsibility to court users begins at the door of the courthouse.

Not all of our courthouses have parking facilities and those that do are usually not operated by the court system. If you are visiting a facility that provides parking for the public, there are some spaces reserved for people with disabilities. You should contact the local ADA liaison to find out what is available at the courthouse you will be visiting.

Assistive Listening Devices (ALD) are sensitive amplification instruments that are designed to be helpful in specific, but not all, listening situations. Each court facility in the state has at least one ALD available for use by the public.

Decisions involving court proceedings must be at the discretion of the judge presiding over the case. On a case by case basis, and with approval of the judge, conferencing has been used as a way to accommodate people who cannot leave their homes or who will have difficulty accessing the court building.

Documents

LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN (LAP)