In the last few weeks there has been a vigorous discussion in various blogs and other forums concerning disability law about the pool lift requirement in the 2010 ADA Standards. These discussions were prompted by the January 31, 2013 deadline for compliance. Hotel and motel owners are concerned with the expense of compliance and in particular what constitutes a “readily achievable” barrier removal for a small business with limited resources. This prompted me to look back at the cases defining what is “readily achievable.”
What I found was of little practical help. The ADA itself outlines the factors to be considered, including cost, but doesn’t say just how to balance them. Various district courts have looked at revenues, gross profits and net profits to determine if the cost of barrier removal was excessive, but always end up saying that the inquiry is “fact intensive.” That, of course, is shorthand for there will be an expensive trial of the case. More