Ask The Expert!
by Candy Harrington, editor of Emerging Horizons
Can’t Use A Roll-in Shower
I am from South Africa and I have traveled to the US a few times, and when I reserved an accessible room I’ve always been given one with a roll-in shower. Unfortunately I need a bathtub, as I can’t use a roll-in shower. Can you tell me what the law is about accessible bathtubs in the US, and tell me how to book this type of a room?
Believe it or not, I’m usually asked this question the other way around – people want to know how to book an accessible room with a roll-in shower. And although the answer is pretty much the same to both questions, it helps to know a little bit about our ADAAG (access regulations) for bathrooms in lodging establishments.
Basically, we have two types of accessible bathrooms here in the US; those with roll-in showers and those with tub/shower combinations. The accessible bathrooms with tub/shower combinations are also required to have grab bars, a hand-held showerhead and a portable shower bench. Both are considered accessible rooms, so if you just ask for an accessible room when you make your reservation, you’ll get the luck of the draw. Properties with under 50 rooms are not required to have rooms with roll-in showers, however I’ve visited some that do have this feature. After all, there’s nothing that says you can’t go beyond the letter of the law.
Basically you have to specify if you want a tub/shower combination or a roll-in shower when you book your accessible room. The good news is, because of new regulations that require properties to list the access features in their rooms, this is getting easier and easier to do. You’ll even find many properties that list the access features of thier rooms on-line, which makes trip planning much easier.
