Accessible Cruises, Fair Housing, and the Americans With Disabilities Act


what is by far the largest settlement of a lawsuit challenging defects in the design and construction of multi-family housing under the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The settlement requires the survey of 71 apartment complexes developed by Archstone-Smith Trust and located in 16 states around the country, which contain approximately 36,000 apartment units, about 12,000 of which are covered by the settlement, and to retrofit features of the complexes, at Archstone's expense, that operated as barriers to the full use and enjoyment of these facilities by people with disabilities. Archstone-Smith Trust is the seventh largest developer of apartment complexes in the United States. Although surveys of the properties have not concluded, the cost of remediation is estimated to exceed $20 million. Archstone will also pay $1.4 million in damages and attorneys fees and litigation expenses.

A person with a disability always runs the risk of being discounted for schauenfreude when taking a strong self-advocacy position in times like these. Don't misunderstand. Think of this week's good news for the nearly 50 million Americans with disabilities as a bell tolling insistently on a buoy bobbing just seaward of a cruise industry naufragio. What was true of the ancient Portuguese mariners is also true for those of us with disabilities who share their passion:

Navegar é preciso.

Further Reading:

ADA and Foreign-Flagged Cruise Ships
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000527.html

Archstone/Fair Housing
http://www.cmht.com/cases_archstonetrust.php

Inclusive Tourism: Some Definitions
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114773

Getting the Design Right: Inclusive Destination Development http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/115176

Related Suite Articles:

What is a Cruise?
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/cruisevacations/104559

Cruising Britain's Waterways
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/food_travel_UK/49563

The Pacific Islands - Adventure Cruise
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/current_events_pacific_islands/113174

"C" is for Cruise
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/adirondacks/72944

The copyright of the article Accessible Cruises, Fair Housing, and the Americans With Disabilities Act in Travel & Disability is owned by Scott Paul Rains. Permission to republish Accessible Cruises, Fair Housing, and the Americans With Disabilities Act in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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