United Spinal Association’s VP and general counsel Jim Weisman recently appeared on Varney & Co. on Fox Business to defend access to public swimming pools for wheelchair users and disabled vets.
Should Hotels Be Forced to Install Pool Wheelchairs? Watch Clip 1 of Jim’s appearance.
Are ADA Requirements for Hotel Pools Too Costly? Watch Clip 2 of Jim’s appearance.
In general, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires existing facilities to satisfy accessibility standards that are easily accomplished and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense. If it is too expensive and not considered easy to install a fixed pool lift in an existing pool, then a portable lift may be all a facility would be required to provide.
These regulations were slated to go into effect 22 years after the ADA was passed, but compliance is still an issue. The Justice Department stated earlier this year that it will require public facilities to install fixed, permanent lifts to comply with the ADA.
After already granting one extension since initially setting a March 15 deadline for compliance, the Justice Department recently announced that pool owners won’t have to comply with the new requirements until early next year.