Originally Posted by
Katja
"Reasonable accommodation", as used in the ADA, is related to employment (i.e., Title I), not Title III, which is the portion of the ADA that covers non-discrimination in public accommodations like hotels.
The phrase also appears in Title III - I've checked - and in a substantial amount of case law relating to the ADA, housing, lodging and access to public facilities which I read prior to asking this question. It appears in documents sent to me by the Justice Department in response to specific questions relating to public facilities. It is also commonly used in IDEA documents. In general it appears to mean "accommodate a customer with a disability without a significant change in the nature of the business or undue expense" and that is, of course, a paraphrase, not a cut and paste of a literal definition.
Originally Posted by Often1
Stay away from legalisms because you are wrong and any property knows exactly what it's obligated to do, e.g., wheelchair ramps and so on.
Wanna take bets on that? My personal experience is that many businesses haven't a clue what their obligations are, especially if you're dealing with the evening desk clerk at a mid-range hotel. That's why I carry certain letters from the Justice Department with me on trips. The supplemental charge for the fridge is a new question, and one I might just ask them next week, after the holiday, seeing as I'm not getting a fact based answer here.
Originally Posted by Often1
That said, it doesn't hurt to simply say, "all I'm doing is storing medication, is there a chance you could discount that a bit." Maybe they comp it, maybe they knock it down to $5. Whatever they do, thank them.
Gee, I really needed to be reminded to say thank you.
