It isn't that he was against accommodations, it just didn't make sense for that location where each spot was right by the door.
Why? Because state law required that any part of the building being modified be brought into compliance with modern building code. In this case:
- Replacing the doors with outward-opening doors would mean bringing the doorframe into compliance by widening it
- Widening the doorframe would mean widening the alcove into which it opens, and in a 19th-century masonry mid-rise every wall is structural
- Widening the door also means widening the short (3-4 steps) staircase leading up to it and bringing them into code by making them less steep
- Making the stairs less steep means they are now longer than the alcove and protrude beyond the property line onto the sidewalk
The usual result was the pool got filled in, as it was too expensive to upgrade it.
Who came out ahead? Nobody but the lawyers.
So there's obviously something I'm missing here ... would you care to explain ?
The ADA is interesting because, to my understanding, the law asks for ‘reasonable’ accommodation without defining what that is. So it leaves it to the courts to decide. It is reasonable that new building should be completely wheelchair accessible. But is it reasonable for architecturally or historically significant sites to be modified for wheelchair accessibility? That’s where the lawyers come in.
"I read years ago that _nonspecific_thing_" should be a red flag for making broad judgements about the merits of accessibility. One story about "welfare queens" poisoned millions of people against anti-poverty measures for generations.
I'm sorry I don't have a photographic memory. But hey, a simple google search comes up with:
"In California, serial plaintiffs and their lawyers have found these cookie-cutter lawsuits to be lucrative as plaintiffs can claim statutory damages, compensatory damages, treble damages and attorneys’ fees."
https://hotellaw.jmbm.com/ada_defense_lawyer_pool_lift_l.htm...
But yes it gets increasingly hard to have a good solution for everyone when there are so few spaces.