TS Today - Creating a Vision for the Future of Vacation Ownership Issue #142, Jul/Aug 2015 | Page 42

TimeSharing Today Page 42 Jul/Aug, 2015 ADA at The Carriage House By Amy Lowell The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a civil rights law passed in 1990, prohibits discrimination based on disability. 7KH GH¿QLWLRQ RI GLVDELOLW\ LV ZLGH ranging and includes both mental and physical impairments. This law requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and ensure that public accommodations are accessible to guests. Timeshare resorts are required to follow this law. From the beginning, The Carriage House, a 40-year-old timeshare hotel in Las Vegas, NV, chose to embrace accessibility as the “right thing to do for our guests.” It has become just another part of the property’s culture. The ADA has caused some resorts great fear; they believe compliance can be costly to the property. The Carriage House owners’ association has found just the opposite. Early on, an ADA consultant was hired at a very reasonable cost 7KH&DUULDJH+RXVH&UHGLWV3KRWRVFRXUWHV\RIWKHDXWKRU to guide the association and develop an ADA action plan. Removing Barriers 7KH SODQ LGHQWL¿HG EDUULHUV DQG DGdressed both short-term and long-term goals to remove them. Many of the items noted in the plan, such as setting aside enough ADA parking spots, were completed without sigQL¿FDQWFRVW