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Opinion

Kaleugher: Does RCSC have to follow ADA rules?

Posted

Maybe before thanking Chris Herring of the Recreation Centers of Sun City, Kristi Svendsen (“ADA has a place in this world,” Sun City Independent, May 26, 2021) should spend a little time in my shoes.

I moved to Sun City in 2017 to make my retirement years easier. I have multiple sclerosis and have been 100% wheelchair dependent for the last 10 years. I thought a retirement community was just what I needed and why not go with the first! It was not until I uprooted my life and moved across the country that I found out that Sun City apparently considers itself to be grandfathered and they did not have to follow Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Sadly, I found this out while flashing my bottom to the Bell Center because my wheelchair could not fit into a bathroom stall if the door was closed.

I initially contacted the rec centers office to find out where the wheelchair bathrooms were located. Surely, they were out there, it was 2017!  At that time I was told there were a total of three in Sun City and one wasn’t usable.

In the last four years I have tried to reason with Chris Herring and the rec centers. I am fine with the existing fee if I am able to use anything. As I’m sure just about any middle aged woman can understand, the first thing you do before working out in the gym is go potty! I agreed to a rec fee regardless of my ability to use anything.

My case has been turned over to a collection agency, I am banned from all activities and in the past year they have hired a new lawyer and added fees to my bill. It was not until I asked the Attorney General’s Office to step in that there was a change of heart.

So now does he have compassion for the disabled or is he looking at fines? I guess Kristi can believe either.

Valerie Kaleugher

Sun City

RCSC, follow, ADA, rules