The Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity is responsible for the County's Disability Accessibility Awareness program. This program assures that County government and countywide organizations and public facilities maintain compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. OEO enforces the County's Handicapped Parking Program and helps to remedy discrimination against persons with disabilities in housing, access to facilities and services, employment and all other areas of equal access.
In 1992, the Board of County Commissioners enacted an Ordinance, known as the Palm Beach County Physically Disabled Parking Space Ordinance. This Ordinance provides that two-thirds of the fines collected for parking in designated disabled parking spaces shall be used to provide funds to improve accessibility and equal opportunity to qualified physically disabled persons in the County, and to provide funds to conduct public awareness programs concerning physically disabled persons. One-third of the fines are utilized by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department to support its volunteer enforcement program.
Annually, this program awards grants to local non-profit agencies that provide services to persons with disabilities. The grants do not exceed $10,000 per agency and must be utilized to improve accessibility and equal opportunity or to increase public awareness of programs and issues involving physically disabled persons.
Agencies or local non-profits who wish to receive more information regarding the grant application process should contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at:
561-355-4883.
If you have experienced a problem concerning accessibility or believe that you have otherwise been discriminated because of either a physical or mental disability, you should contact OEO for information and assistance.
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