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Visitors with Disabilities

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Although the United States Courts are not subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is the Court's policy to remove disability-related barriers to court services by providing reasonable accommodations. The Court does not provide devices that are personal or individually prescribed, such as wheelchairs, prescription eye glasses, or hearing aids or services of a personal nature, such as the pushing of wheelchairs.

This web page offers information commonly sought about access to our courthouses, court documents and proceedings.

Screening & Entry: All Divisions

All individuals seeking entrance to any facility must present a valid, government issued ID such as a drivers license or state ID and pass through security screening, which in most circumstances includes a metal detector. Individuals with pacemakers or cochlear implants may request screening via a hand-held wand.

Access for Wheelchairs/Mobility Disabilities

San Francisco

The Phillip Burton Federal Building & United States Courthouse is wheelchair-accessible via both the Golden Gate Avenue and Turk Street entrances. Automatic doors are available at both entrances to the building. Six public elevators provide access to all courthouse floors while twelve public elevators provide access to the Clerk's Office. All publicly-accessible restrooms within the courthouse provide wheelchair accommodation.

Handicapped parking is available at all major parking establishments surrounding the courthouse.

Oakland

The Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building is wheelchair-accessible from both the Clay and Jefferson Street entrances. A ramp is located on the Jefferson Street side of the complex leading to accessible entrances. The Clay Street entrance is at street level, leading to accessible entrances to the towers and to the courthouse.

Handicapped parking is available on both Clay and Jefferson Streets, as well as within the City Center West Garage located on the Jefferson Street side of the complex.

San Jose

Grade-level access to the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building is available from First Street (the west side). Two ADA-compliant ramps border the Second Street (east) side for non-ambulatory access. The public entrance to the courthouse is fully accessible. Three public elevators provide access to upper floors. All publicly-accessible restrooms within the courthouse provide wheelchair accommodation.

Handicapped parking is available at all major parking establishments surrounding the courthouse.

Eureka-McKinleyville

The entrance to the Eureka-McKinleyville courthouse is wheelchair-accessible, and the courthouse and courtroom are fully ADA-compliant.

Communication Disabilities

The Intake desks at all Clerk's Office locations have a document magnifier to help visitors with visual impairments review documents upon request. 

All courtrooms are equipped with infared headsets capable of providing listeners with amplification of the proceedings. Anyone anticipating the need to use an infared headset in a particular proceeding should contact the judge's courtroom deputy. Contact information for the courtroom deputy can be found on the web page of the assigned judge. Advance notice is appreciated but not required.

If you are a party, prospective juror or witness and you believe you will require a CART (Communications Access Realtime Translation) or American Sign Language interpreter in the courtroom, please complete the Application for CART or Sign Language Interpreter and email it to the disability access and accommodation coordinator for the courthouse where the proceeding will be held.

JURY OFFICE EMAIL ADDRESSES:

If you have been called for jury duty and believe you might need additional amplification or other accommodations while in the jury office (such as special amplification or captions for viewing an orientation video), please email the jury office where you will be reporting for jury duty.

Questions|Disability Access & Accommodation Coordinators

For any question not answered on this page, please contact the Court's Disability Access and Accommodation Coordinator for the courthouse in question:

If you are unable to reach a listed coordinator and need immediate assistance, please contact: Anita Bock, Chief Deputy of Administration, 415-522-2044, anita_bock@cand.uscourts.gov.

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