Re: ADA Fitness Center compliance

[Guest guest]

Gretchen,

I called the health club just now to double check that they were still set

up the way

they used to be. I asked them if they had an elevator and they said " No " . I

asked her

if they had an entrance on their lower level and the girl said that " there's a

rear door

that goes into the room where the pool is, however there's no parking back there

and

the drive is very steep and it's not used as an access door " . I asked her if

they had

any handicapped accessability or parking and she said " no, we don't " .

That is, by the way, the only place in town with a pool open to the public,

(with

membership).

I run into this sort of stuff all over the place. In September I just ended

my 3 year

job at a golf resort as their reservation manager. They have an indoor

pool....with 5

steps going down to it! Use of their facilties was part of our perks for

working there,

but their pool and hot tub weren't accessable so I never got to use them.

Every time

I'd speak to the GM, (the owner's son) about it, he'd say they were

grandfathered in

and didn't have to comply down there, (even though all the lodging rooms in that

building are being or have been remodeled).

Their attitude was that it was no big deal. I had disabled guests cut their

trips short

there due to limited accessability within the complex.

The girl I just spoke with at the health club had the same attitude....and you

know,

she probably never even thought about accessability issues until my phone call.

It's so frustrating! Having to rely on help from other people to even enter a

place is

maddening.

As far as the ADA goes, do they wait until a complaint is made to them against a

specific place, or do they actually have employees that work for them going

around

randomly to different places for inspections?

> Oh my ,

>

> Yes, by law your health club needs to provide " accessibility " to get

> upstairs or downstairs. Like an elevator. And showers/bathrooms need

> accessible shower (with bench) and larger restroom. Even if only ONE

> person needs it. Do they have a lower level entrance? If so, this would

> " comply " (sort of - at least give them the ability to say they are

> accessible) This is just the kind of thing I mean when I say that the

> ADA still isn't in full compliance. Have they got handicapped parking

> spaces close to the doors?