The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) revolutionized the hospitality industry. Created just over 10 years ago, the ADA made persons with disabilities -- including those in wheelchairs, as well as the blind or deaf -- full participants in meetings and events. Activities in hotels, restaurants, and conference facilities are required by law to adapt to their special needs.
What's required? In two words, "reasonable accommodations." The meaning of this term varies with the event, depending on the event size and budget. A large meeting at a convention center -- with a big budget -- will need to do more to accommodate its disabled participants. On the other hand, a small meeting at a bed-and-breakfast inn with structural impediments will need to do less. The property, the event host, and the planner are all responsible for seeing that the reasonable needs of the disabled are met.
The following guidelines will help you plan an ADA-compliant meeting.
Choose a Suitable Site. Consider your attendees' likely needs during site selection. Don't choose to meet in a historic inn without an elevator if you anticipate wheelchair-bound attendees.
Solicit Needs in Registration Materials. Designate a place in meeting registration forms for attendees to list their special needs. This way you will know how many accessible rooms to reserve and sign-language interpreters to hire. Setting deadlines for receiving this information will aid your advance planning efforts, but will not relieve you from your ADA obligations.
Cover the ADA in Contracts. Facility owners and event organizers share the responsibility for ADA compliance. It's best to divide up duties in the venue contract. The facility is best equipped to ensure that doorways can fit wheelchairs, and that fire alarms include warning lights. Planners should agree to hire interpreters and furnish written materials in Braille.
Guest Room Assignments. Every hotel must have some guest rooms with special equipment for disabled persons. Ask the properties in your meeting block to assign these "accessible" guest rooms last. This helps ensure that the rooms will be saved for guests who need the special facilities.
Choosing how to meet the ADA's "reasonable accommodation" standard is up to the planner. Which sign-language interpreter should you hire for the event? Should you print a Braille dinner menu, or save money by asking a waiter to read the menu to a blind person? It's the planner's decision, not the guest's.
Joshua L. Grimes, Esq. is an attorney with a nationwide hospitality practice based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a frequent speaker at meetings industry events. His clients include meeting planners, hotels, convention/conference facilities, and other industry suppliers. Contact him at (215) 851-9770 or
[email protected]