Greater Providence YMCA, Disability Discrimination, Rhode Island 2023

Crime: Disability Discrimination

The United States has reached an agreement with the Greater Providence YMCA (“YMCA”) to resolve allegations that the organization violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) by denying a child the opportunity to participate in its Camp Fuller summer program because of his disability, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

The settlement resolves a complaint filed by the parent of a child with cystic fibrosis, alleging that the YMCA refused to make a reasonable modification of its medication administration policy so that her child could attend Camp Fuller.

The United States’ investigation determined that the parent had enrolled her child at Camp Fuller, administered by YMCA, in the summer of 2022. At that time, the parent informed YMCA that her son needed to take pancreatic enzyme supplements before every meal, as treatment for his cystic fibrosis, and requested that he be permitted to self-administer the enzyme supplements. The staff at YMCA allowed the accommodation and the child attended Camp Fuller.

In the summer of 2023, the parent re-enrolled her child at Camp Fuller, and made the same accommodation request. However, unlike the summer of 2022, the YMCA did not allow the child to self-administer his medication, purportedly on the basis of a medication administration policy that it refused to modify. As a result, the child, as well as his brother, were unable to attend Camp Fuller.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, YMCA will take certain remedial measures, including: training its staff on the requirements ADA, evaluating accommodation requests for children applying to attend the camp on a case-by-case basis, and making reasonable modifications to permit children with disabilities to attend, adopting a non-discrimination policy, paying $10,000 in compensation to the complainant, and allowing her son to attend Camp Fuller for all summers in which he is eligible.

This is the third settlement agreement that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has entered into with a camp regarding violations of the ADA. Under the ADA, summer camps, whether private or run by municipalities, must afford reasonable modifications to ensure that children with disabilities can participate fully in camp programs and activities. Camps must evaluate each child on an individual basis and train their staff in the requirements of the ADA.

The United States’ case was handled by AUSA Amy Romero. For more information on the ADA, visit www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD). Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that a place of public accommodation or public entity in Rhode Island is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (401) 709-5010.

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