EMAIL RECEIVED · 2026-05-07
Read the text transcript
In the email you sent to Mr. Willard this morning, you stated as follows:
The ADA side of this is worse. The State Bar's handling of my April 30 ADA accommodation requests has, on the record, given me:
• no published timeline for a written response;
• no single, designated ADA contact — Mr. Shiptenko self-identified, but he is not the Bar's published institutional ADA Coordinator;
• no consistent email or phone number;
• answers from different people, on different days;
• an ADA contact who acknowledged my full April 30 package, sent confirmations on May 1 and a follow-up on May 4, and then went quiet — no written determination has issued on any deferred or denied request.
As the ADA Coordinator, my duty is to make sure that the State Bar does not discriminate against you due to your disability. For your pending grievance, this means that I will help ensure that you have the same rights and opportunities as non-disabled grievants. Please let me know if the Bar is not providing you with the same rights and opportunities as non-disabled grievants. Please explain to me how you believe the Bar is discriminating against you in the grievance process, and I will do my best to address the issue. I also have a duty to make sure that we provide disability-related accommodations that help you effectively access and participate in the grievance process. I addressed the accommodations in my May 4, 2026 email to you. If you would like to request additional accommodations due to your disability, please provide me with your request. If you feel comfortable providing me with a description of your disability, please do so. Having that information may help me efficiently engage in an interactive process as we consider and implement accommodations. Also, please call me if you think a phone call will help clarify your ADA-related issues. As I explained in my May 4, 2026 email, Ms. Nash is handling your questions and requests that are not related to disability accommodations (although Ms. Burgess did try to help you this week in her May 5, 2026 email).
I will try to address each of your listed concerns separately.
• no published timeline for a written response;
Please clarify this question. I am unsure if this is a disability-related issue or a grievance/reconsideration procedural question.
I responded to your disability-related requests in the May 4, 2026 email I sent to you. Ms. Burgess responded to your procedural questions in her May 5, 2026 email to you. If you have further procedural questions, please contact Ms. Nash.
• no single, designated ADA contact — Mr. Shiptenko self-identified, but he is not the Bar's published institutional ADA Coordinator;
A public entity can have numerous ADA coordinators. While the ADA only requires public entities with 50 or more employees to designate at least one responsible employee to coordinate compliance, having more than one is common and often recommended for larger organizations. We have more than one, depending on the program, service, or activity that the disabled individual needs to access. I am one of the designated ADA Coordinators, and for many of the programs, services, or activities, I serve as the ADA Coordinator. Ms. Nash usually handles ADA requests for the grievance process, and I assist her as needed. Since Ms. Nash is handling your reconsideration, I am serving as your ADA Coordinator. Yesterday, I spoke to Ms. Stacey Peace, State ADA Coordinator, with the State of Georgia's ADA Coordinator's Office. Based on that conversation, I am analyzing our ADA notices and processes to determine whether and how they can be improved.
• no consistent email or phone number;
In my May 4, 2026 email to you, I provided you with my contact information (for disability-related issues) and Ms. Nash's contact information (for grievance/reconsideration procedural questions and updates). If this doesn't meet your accessibility needs, please let me know.
• answers from different people, on different days;
I can only assume that various members of the OGC staff are trying to be helpful. I suggest that you consider limiting your communication (letters and emails) to me (for disability-related issues) and Ms. Nash (for your grievance/reconsideration). That should help alleviate the problem of receiving information from too many staff members.
If you would like, I could request that the OGC only communicate with you about the grievance/reconsideration through Ms. Nash. Please let me know.
• an ADA contact who acknowledged my full April 30 package, sent confirmations on May 1 and a follow-up on May 4, and then went quiet — no written determination has issued on any deferred or denied request.
In my May 4, 2026 email to you, I identified two disability-related accommodations that you requested, granted those requests, and explained to you that I had notified Ms. Nash, Ms. Burgess, Mr. Willard, and Ms. Morrison that the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) must comply. I also invited you to request another accommodation if you felt it was necessary. My invitation read as follows: "Additionally, as a reasonable accommodation, if requested by you, the OGC will postpone the review of your reconsideration request until after your May 15, 2026 hand surgery and whatever time you need for post-surgery recovery. That will allow you more time to organize, prepare, and submit additional materials. If you wish to make such a request, please provide it to me with a date when Ms. Nash can resume her review of the reconsideration." Please let me know if you believe I failed to address a disability-related accommodation request.
Many of your questions/requests are not disability-related in nature but are questions about the grievance/reconsideration process more generally. As I explained to you, Ms. Nash can answer those questions. Please feel free to contact her. As mentioned above, Ms. Burgess sent you an email on May 5, 2026.
I hope this email is helpful.
Thank you.
JOHN J. SHIPTENKO // Senior Assistant General Counsel
104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100 | Atlanta, GA 30303
T: 404-527-8720 | F: 404-527-8744 | ██████████████
The ADA side of this is worse. The State Bar's handling of my April 30 ADA accommodation requests has, on the record, given me:
• no published timeline for a written response;
• no single, designated ADA contact — Mr. Shiptenko self-identified, but he is not the Bar's published institutional ADA Coordinator;
• no consistent email or phone number;
• answers from different people, on different days;
• an ADA contact who acknowledged my full April 30 package, sent confirmations on May 1 and a follow-up on May 4, and then went quiet — no written determination has issued on any deferred or denied request.
As the ADA Coordinator, my duty is to make sure that the State Bar does not discriminate against you due to your disability. For your pending grievance, this means that I will help ensure that you have the same rights and opportunities as non-disabled grievants. Please let me know if the Bar is not providing you with the same rights and opportunities as non-disabled grievants. Please explain to me how you believe the Bar is discriminating against you in the grievance process, and I will do my best to address the issue. I also have a duty to make sure that we provide disability-related accommodations that help you effectively access and participate in the grievance process. I addressed the accommodations in my May 4, 2026 email to you. If you would like to request additional accommodations due to your disability, please provide me with your request. If you feel comfortable providing me with a description of your disability, please do so. Having that information may help me efficiently engage in an interactive process as we consider and implement accommodations. Also, please call me if you think a phone call will help clarify your ADA-related issues. As I explained in my May 4, 2026 email, Ms. Nash is handling your questions and requests that are not related to disability accommodations (although Ms. Burgess did try to help you this week in her May 5, 2026 email).
I will try to address each of your listed concerns separately.
• no published timeline for a written response;
Please clarify this question. I am unsure if this is a disability-related issue or a grievance/reconsideration procedural question.
I responded to your disability-related requests in the May 4, 2026 email I sent to you. Ms. Burgess responded to your procedural questions in her May 5, 2026 email to you. If you have further procedural questions, please contact Ms. Nash.
• no single, designated ADA contact — Mr. Shiptenko self-identified, but he is not the Bar's published institutional ADA Coordinator;
A public entity can have numerous ADA coordinators. While the ADA only requires public entities with 50 or more employees to designate at least one responsible employee to coordinate compliance, having more than one is common and often recommended for larger organizations. We have more than one, depending on the program, service, or activity that the disabled individual needs to access. I am one of the designated ADA Coordinators, and for many of the programs, services, or activities, I serve as the ADA Coordinator. Ms. Nash usually handles ADA requests for the grievance process, and I assist her as needed. Since Ms. Nash is handling your reconsideration, I am serving as your ADA Coordinator. Yesterday, I spoke to Ms. Stacey Peace, State ADA Coordinator, with the State of Georgia's ADA Coordinator's Office. Based on that conversation, I am analyzing our ADA notices and processes to determine whether and how they can be improved.
• no consistent email or phone number;
In my May 4, 2026 email to you, I provided you with my contact information (for disability-related issues) and Ms. Nash's contact information (for grievance/reconsideration procedural questions and updates). If this doesn't meet your accessibility needs, please let me know.
• answers from different people, on different days;
I can only assume that various members of the OGC staff are trying to be helpful. I suggest that you consider limiting your communication (letters and emails) to me (for disability-related issues) and Ms. Nash (for your grievance/reconsideration). That should help alleviate the problem of receiving information from too many staff members.
If you would like, I could request that the OGC only communicate with you about the grievance/reconsideration through Ms. Nash. Please let me know.
• an ADA contact who acknowledged my full April 30 package, sent confirmations on May 1 and a follow-up on May 4, and then went quiet — no written determination has issued on any deferred or denied request.
In my May 4, 2026 email to you, I identified two disability-related accommodations that you requested, granted those requests, and explained to you that I had notified Ms. Nash, Ms. Burgess, Mr. Willard, and Ms. Morrison that the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) must comply. I also invited you to request another accommodation if you felt it was necessary. My invitation read as follows: "Additionally, as a reasonable accommodation, if requested by you, the OGC will postpone the review of your reconsideration request until after your May 15, 2026 hand surgery and whatever time you need for post-surgery recovery. That will allow you more time to organize, prepare, and submit additional materials. If you wish to make such a request, please provide it to me with a date when Ms. Nash can resume her review of the reconsideration." Please let me know if you believe I failed to address a disability-related accommodation request.
Many of your questions/requests are not disability-related in nature but are questions about the grievance/reconsideration process more generally. As I explained to you, Ms. Nash can answer those questions. Please feel free to contact her. As mentioned above, Ms. Burgess sent you an email on May 5, 2026.
I hope this email is helpful.
Thank you.
JOHN J. SHIPTENKO // Senior Assistant General Counsel
104 Marietta St. NW, Suite 100 | Atlanta, GA 30303
T: 404-527-8720 | F: 404-527-8744 | ██████████████