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Hotel Pool Accessibility Scandal Uncovered
Many people with disabilities are being denied access to social, recreational, and exercise benefits of swimming due to inaccessible hotel pools.
Until September 2010, there were no accessibility standards for swimming pools under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). That changed when the Justice Department issued a regulation providing accessibility requirements for swimming pools. Newly constructed and altered pools must be fully accessible to people with disabilities as of March 15, 2012, by providing pool lifts, sloped entries, or other specified accessibility features.
However, many pool owners had misunderstandings about how to apply the new accessibility requirements to pre-existing pools. In an effort to be responsive to both pool owners and the disability community, the Justice Department has extended the compliance date for existing pools to Jan. 31, 2013.
According to the Justice Department, some pool owners who attempted to comply with the rule before the original compliance date mistakenly believed that portable lifts were generally acceptable. The department has provided that it will not enforce the fixed elements of the 2010 standards against those owners of existing pools who purchased otherwise-compliant portable lifts prior to March 15, 2012, as long as those owners keep the lifts in position for use at the pool and operational during all times that the pool is open to guests.
Significant tax credits and deductions are available to help businesses of all sizes offset any costs of ADA compliance. The Justice Department is committed to providing technical assistance and education to ensure that covered entities and people with disabilities understand their rights and responsibilities under the ADA.
Additional information about the ADA’s requirements, including the 2010 ADA standards, is available on the Justice Department’s ADA website at www.ada.gov. ADA specialists are also available on the ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (voice); 800-514-0383 (TTY). Specialists are available Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. EDT, except on Thursday, when the hours are 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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