BALTIMORE — Groups in Baltimore are raising concerns about whether the city is doing enough to make special accommodations for people with disabilities at its swimming pools.
This all stems from an incident that happened at the pool at Druid Hill Park on Sunday.
“It was easier to get through customs than it was to get through the pool,” Walking Discoveries owner Stephen Offutt said.
Walking Discovery is an organisation that organises safe, inclusive outings for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.
“Citizens shouldn’t be treated like second-class citizens when they go to a pool,” Offutt said.
Offutt said he and his small group of members ran into some obstacles at the pool at Druid Hill Park over the weekend.
The first was the pool’s “no casual clothing” policy, which Offutt said meant staff were unable to help people with disabilities get in.
“Two of our staff were unable to come to work, which caused a lot of stress for the remaining staff,” Offutt said.
The second issue was the “no bags” policy at the pool.
“There were some bags with medication in them and she said I couldn’t come in with those bags,” Offutt said.
The situation was made worse when Offutt expressed concern about the lack of special accommodations for people with disabilities.
“ADA guidelines require that certain procedures be followed to make this facility easily accessible,” Offutt said. “And she didn’t want to hear it. She also accused us of using the disability card.”
He voiced his concerns on Instagram and visited Baltimore City Recreation Park.
WJZ asked the Recreation and Parks Department about its policies and whether there are any special accommodations for people with disabilities.
The statement said: “ADA coordinators will work with patrons who request special accommodations to ensure a smooth and enjoyable visit to City facilities, but due to the nature of these requests, we ask that requests be made at least five days in advance.”
The statement further said regulations regarding bags and clothing will be in place for health and safety reasons and lockers will be available.
“The rules need to be completely rewritten,” Offutt said.
Meanwhile, Offutt said the first step to making city pools accessible to everyone is raising awareness.
“I’m not here to complain or to annoy anybody,” Offutt said. “I’m here to make a change.”
Offutt said recreation and parks members have told him they will work to make changes.
He offered to consult with them free of charge.
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Jessica Albert