In the Aug. 15 edition of the Gazette, ex-congressman Anthony Coelho wrote a letter that, among other topics, referred to his vocal opposition to Rehoboth's regulation of swimming pools and recent zoning changes, and he promoted pools by asserting, "Pools provide a safe haven for Americans with disabilities..."
That claim sounds good, and seems to be implying that the pools associated with the "mini-hotels" in Rehoboth are handicap accessible; however, after researching the issue, I have found that this is, unfortunately, not the case.
According to the 2010 specifications of the Americans with Disabilities Act, to be accessible for the disabled, a pool must have, at minimum, either a sloped ramp into the pool or a poolside lift chair. I have not seen either of these features included in any "mini-hotel" pool in town; when I've asked rental agents for properties with such accessible pools, they have none to offer; when I've searched local Realtor or VRBO websites, I have not found pools with these features; nor have I found any rental site that offers the ability to search for handicap-accessible pools in Rehoboth. If any Rehoboth pool has these features, it's a rarity.
Without a ramp into the pool or a lift chair, it is impossible or dangerous for a physically disabled person to attempt getting into the pool. On the one hand, a disabled person cannot transfer themselves from a wheelchair or walker to pool level; and on the other, to try to carry a disabled person down wet, slippery pool stairs presents a serious risk to both the disabled person and the helper.
I learned this from a nephew who was confined to a wheelchair because of spina bifida. One reason we bought property in Rehoboth was the fact that the town was accessible in so many ways for him: he could access town and the Boardwalk, he could get down to the beach on the ramps, and onto the beach in the beach wheelchairs.
His disability isolated him in so many ways, as it was, that on vacation he didn't want to be cooped up in a house with the usual family members - he wanted to be out and about in public, seeing things and people (especially girls in bikinis!) I'm happy that, before he died, we were able to give him the thrill of floating in the ocean on a raft (and we were thankful we had lifeguard backup, if we needed it).
I'm sure Rehoboth's mini-hotel pools offer some benefit for some types of disabilities, but let's set the record straight - they're not accessible for those with significant disabilities in mobility; and it’s disingenuous to suggest that they are. Those who sincerely care to make things easier for the full range of the disabled, as the ADA does, could advocate that mini-hotel pools be made accessible with ramps or chair lifts.
Perhaps Mr. Coelho could lead the way and make sure that the pools of the rental homes with which he’s associated are accessible with a ramp or chair lift. According to a CNN report, a pool chair lift costs roughly $9,000, which is less than one week’s rent at many of Rehoboth’s mini-hotels.
Donna Mabry
Rehoboth Beach
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