Are Baltimore City pools making special accommodations for people with disabilities? Residents raise concerns.
BALTIMORE - A group in Baltimore is raising concerns about whether the city is doing enough to make special accommodations for people with disabilities at its pools.
This all stems from an incident that happened at Druid Hill Park Pool on Sunday.
"I've gotten through customs easier than I was able to get through the pool," Walking Discovery Owner Stephen Offutt said.
Walking Discovery is an organization that plans safe and inclusive outings for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.
"Citizens should be able to go to the pool and not be accosted like they're second-class citizens," Offutt said.
Offutt says he and a small group of his members ran into several obstacles at Druid Hill Park pool over the weekend.
The first was the pool's "no street clothes" policy, which Offutt says prevented members of his staff from assisting the individuals with disabilities from getting in.
"Two of our people couldn't come in which put a lot of stress on the rest of the staff," Offutt said.
The second issue was the pool's "no bag" policy.
"We had some bags with medicine in it and she said they can't come in with the bags," Offutt said.
Things escalated further when Offutt said he raised concerns over the lack of special accommodations for those with disabilities.
"ADA guidelines require you to follow some sort of protocol to allow us ease of access into this facility," Offutt said. "She did not want to hear that. She also accused us of using the disability card."
He took to Instagram to voice his concerns and went to Baltimore City Recreation and Parks.
WJZ asked Rec and Parks about the policies and if there are special considerations for those with disabilities.
In a statement, we were told: "ADA coordinators are available to work with patrons who make special accommodations requests to ensure seamless, enjoyable visits to City spaces, but due to the nature of these requests, we ask that such requests should be made at least five days in advance."
The statement goes on to say the bag and clothing policies are in place for health and safety reasons and that there are lockers available.
"There needs to be a rewriting of the rules from the ground up," Offutt said.
Meanwhile, Offutt said awareness is the first step to making city pools more inclusive for all.
"I'm not here to complain or get anyone in trouble," Offutt said. "I'm here to make a change."
Offutt tells us Rec and Parks members told him they would try to make changes.
He has offered to consult with them free of charge.
