Civil Rights and Accessibility

It is the policy of the state of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity in employment and equal access to all programs and services without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, military status, disability, marital status, domestic violence victim status, predisposing genetic characteristics, arrest record, previous conviction record, and any other status or condition protected by law.

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services complies with State and federal civil rights laws and is committed to providing its programs and services without discrimination in accordance with:

• New York State Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, military status, disability, marital status, domestic violence victim status, predisposing genetic characteristics, arrest record, previous conviction record, and any other status or condition protected by law.
• Executive Order 187: Ensuring Diversity and Inclusion and Combating Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace, which provides the Governor's Office of Employee Relations (GOER) shall be responsible for conducting all investigations into employment-related discrimination complaints filed by employees, contractors, interns or other persons engaged in employment at Affected State Agencies.
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin (including language).
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination based on disability.
• Title IX of the Educations Amendments Act of 1972, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities.
• Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which prohibits discrimination based on age.
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulation 6 C.F.R. Part 19, which prohibits discrimination based on religion in social service programs.

It is against the law for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to retaliate against anyone who takes action to oppose discrimination, files a grievance, or participates in the investigation of a grievance in accordance with the above authorities.

If you think that DHSES has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way based on age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, military status, disability, marital status, domestic violence victim status, predisposing genetic characteristics, arrest record, previous conviction record, and any other status or condition protected by law, you may submit a complaint through the online portal or by mail or email with: The Governor's Office of Employee Relations, Anti-Discrimination Unit.

Members of the public, employees, contractors, or interns should use this form to file a discrimination complaint against or on behalf of a NYS employee.

Online: https://antidiscrimination.oer.ny.gov (fastest method to submit your complaint)

E-mail: [email protected]

U.S. Mail:
Governor's Office of Employee Relations Anti-Discrimination Investigations Division
Empire State Plaza
Agency Building 2
Albany, New York 12223

For additional information: https://goer.ny.gov/anti-discrimination-investigations

Telephone: 518-474-1920

Alternatively, members of the public or grant recipients may submit a complaint to DHSES directly.

Online: NYS Discrimination Complaint Form

Complaint forms in the following languages can be found here: Anti-Discrimination Investigations | Office of Employee Relations (ny.gov)

• العَرَبِي (Arabic)
• বাংলা (Bengali)
• 繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese)
• Traduction française (French)
• Tradiksyon kreyòl ayisyen (Haitian Creole)
• Traduzione italiana (Italian)
• 한국어 번역 (Korean)
• Polski (Polish)
• Перевод на русский язык (Russian)
• Traducción al español (Spanish)
• اردو (Urdu)
• אידיש (Yiddish)

If you need assistance completing the forms or need the form in a different format, please contact DHSES via email or telephone.

Email: [email protected]

U.S. Mail:

Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
ATTN: Director of Human Resources
1220 Washington Ave.
Building 7A
Albany, NY 12226

Telephone: (518) 486-5700

For additional information: Non-Employee Discrimination Complaint Policy

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL):

E-mail: [email protected] (fastest method to submit your complaint)

Fax: 202-401-4708

U.S. Mail:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Compliance Branch
Mail Stop #0190 2707
Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave.
SE Washington, D.C. 20528

For additional information: https://www.dhs.gov/office-civil-rights-and-civil-liberties

Phone: 202-401-1474 | Toll-Free: 1-866-644-8360

Complaints must be filed no later than 180 days after the date of the alleged discrimination.

The State of New York is committed to assuring equal opportunity for persons with disabilities.

It is the policy of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) to provide reasonable accommodations in all of its programs and services.  This policy is based on the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title II and all applicable federal regulations thereunder.

DHSES strives to provide:

• Physical accessibility at government facilities, programs and events;
• Policies, procedures, and accommodations to ensure that all people can partake in, and benefit from, DHSES programs and services; and
• Necessary auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified sign language interpreters and written information in other formats free of charge, to ensure effective communication to all people.

Email: [email protected]

U.S. Mail:

Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
ATTN: Director of Human Resources
1220 Washington Ave.
Building 7A
Albany, NY 12226

Telephone: (518) 486-5700

In addition, DHSES provides free language services, such as qualified foreign language interpreters and information written in other languages, to ensure meaningful access to its programs and activities for persons with limited English proficiency. 

Click here for more information Language Access | Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (ny.gov)

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: (518) 292-2861

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If you require a document in a different file format than we currently provide, you can request it from us and we will try to accommodate you.

Free viewers are also available for many of the file types we use. If you are having trouble viewing any of the above file types you may need to install additional software:

• For Adobe PDF files you can download Adobe Reader from Adobe Systems.
• If you do not have Microsoft Office products, users of Microsoft Windows can download viewers for the various Office file formats.

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services is not responsible for the software listed above or your use of it. The links above are provided for your convenience and does not in any way constitute an endorsement of the software or companies.