According to Families.com Federal laws required the owners of pools that are open to the public to install permanent lifts or underwater ramps to provide access for people who have disabilities by January 31, of 2012. This deadline got pushed back to March 15, 2012. That deadline has now been extended.

The federal Justice Department issued an interpretation of part of the law that is in the ADA. It decided that this year, public swimming pools must have permanently affixed lifts. In the past, pool owners were allowed to have portable lifts, instead. These lifts were less expensive than the permanent ones, and could be removed from the pool when not in use.

The biggest complaints are coming from hotel owners, who do not feel as though they should have to spend the money on the permanent lifts. The permanent lifts cost up to $10,000, plus the cost of installation. The portable lifts cost up to $3,000.

Thoughts

For some hotel owners the $10,000 investment in the lift is big bucks. Instead of paying will hotel owners just not fill their pools?

It seems that if the portable lifts were working, why make them spend this money?