Health Club Chain Becomes More Accessible for Everyone
Health Club Chain Becomes More Accessible for Everyone
Abdi, coordinator of a local branch of a health club chain, emailed the ADA National Network with questions about a week-long camp program designed for children with disabilities it runs. The ADA Specialist who reviewed Abdi’s camp brochure caught something that would be problematic: an additional $100 fee for trained counselors that would be available upon request to accommodate children with disabilities. The specialist told Abdi that while they were on the right track to try to accommodate children with disabilities, the camp was obligated to pay the cost of any of those reasonable modifications needed for children with disabilities to participate in camping activities. The ADA specialist also stated that parents should not be charged any additional costs beyond the basic camp fee. The advice prompted the camp to no longer charge additional fees for one-on-one counselors, making the health club chain more accessible for everyone.