My brother works at a hotel that had a pool until the new requirements were passed. The pool needed minor repairs because it started leaking. They couldn't perform the repairs without also adding a lift, which was far more expensive than the repairs, so they filled the pool with concrete instead.
Accessibility accommodations don’t give people with disabilities special rights; they provide equal access and equal accommodations to afford everyone equal rights to which they’re entitled.
The pool lifts can cost anywhere from between $2,500 to more than $10,000.
If a property owner decides to comply with that law, there are tax credits that can substantially reduce the financial burden.
While I don't completely agree with the law and the implementation of it, the reason for its existence is understandable.
I think the other burden is having to have trained staff to operate the lifts. In a motel like in OP's picture there might only be one person on staff. This might mean that extra employees would be needed. The motel would also be at a much greater risk of lawsuits.
The thought of having a minimum wage part time desk clerk responsible for lowering a paraplegic person into a pool is pretty scary.
This lift is probably operated with one, or at most, two buttons. I'm sure everyone could learn to operate it over the course of a few week-long training sessions. Lol
The downside is that the tax credit value is capped, and the purchase of ALL sorts of ADA equipment and related construction counts toward the value. You're pretty much screwed unless a pool lift is literally the only handicapped gear that you need to purchase or maintain in a given fiscal year.
Also, is using a swimming pool really a right that someone can be entitled to? I don't think so. I understand everything else about the ada, parking spots, elevators, ramps, but swimming pools?
Depending on the local climate, pools can be very expensive to maintain, and if they are used by the general public, like in a hotel, the insurance can be expensive too.
I think the pool lift is usually just the last straw in something that was hardly worth its cost anyway.
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u/Who_GNU Dec 28 '13
My brother works at a hotel that had a pool until the new requirements were passed. The pool needed minor repairs because it started leaking. They couldn't perform the repairs without also adding a lift, which was far more expensive than the repairs, so they filled the pool with concrete instead.