Orient Optical Reimbursement Form

[Zulema Estabrooks]

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires places of public accommodation, including hotels, motels, and other places of transient lodging, to ensure that everyone regardless of disability has an equal opportunity to enjoy their services and facilities.

Your establishment is covered by the ADA as a place of public accommodation if it is a private entity and is a place of lodging (including inns, hotels, and motels), regardless of whether it is a for-profit or non-profit establishment. The ADA does not cover owner-occupied establishments renting five or fewer rooms.

Places of lodging, like other places of public accommodation, must provide their services to the public in a way that gives people who are blind or who have low vision a full and equal opportunity to enjoy the services that are provided to others. You must, for instance:

The ADA gives businesses a certain degree of flexibility in meeting these obligations. If some steps are too costly or burdensome for you to undertake, you must use alternative methods that are not so costly or burdensome in order to afford people with disabilities as much access as possible to your goods and services.

Many people who are blind or who have low vision wear very thick glasses or very dark sunglasses. Others carry white canes. Still others use service animals such as guide dogs. Some walk with another person who serves as a sighted guide. Some who are legally blind or who have low vision do not use a cane or a guide dog or wear glasses of any kind.

Shuttle Buses. If you provide shuttle bus services, those services are subject to the ADA. Your shuttle bus drivers should be trained to offer assistance to people who are blind or who have low vision. Staff should inform guests who are blind or who have low vision of the presence of the shuttle bus. Drivers should announce all stops to riders who are blind or who have low vision. Service animals such as guide dogs should be permitted to accompany their handlers. For other requirements applicable to shuttle buses, please contact the Department of Transportation at 1-888-446-4511 (voice; TTY users should use relay service) or review their information online.

Wayfinding. Staff who assist guests at the front door should offer assistance to guests who are blind or who have low vision in finding the Registration Desk or other hotel facilities.

If a guest refuses assistance or an offer of a particular accommodation, the law requires you to respect this refusal. If your guest requests assistance, let him or her guide you in the most effective way of responding to the request. You should not ask a guest for documentation that he or she is blind or has low vision.

If more than one person is in a party with a person who is blind or who has low vision, you should treat the group as you would any other and communicate directly with whomever approaches and speaks to the desk clerk; if the person who is blind or who has low vision is the one to approach the desk and ask for a room, the staff should talk directly to him or her rather than any travel companions.

Using Appropriate Language. Use disability-sensitive language and etiquette. Using words such as blind, visually impaired, seeing, looking, watching television are acceptable words in conversation. Similarly, using descriptive language, including references to color, patterns, and the like, is appropriate. When referring to guests with disabilities, refer to the person first, then the disability.

Payment. When handing currency to a guest, bills should be individually identified and counted. Credit cards should be handed back to guests, not simply laid on a counter or table. A piece of cardboard or a plastic or metal signature template can be used to indicate where a signature is required. Train your staff to simply place a cardboard edge horizontally below a signature line or orient the opening of a signature template wherever a signature is required.

Room Selection. Do not assume that a person who is blind or who has low vision will require or want to be placed in a room designated for people with disabilities. Just as you would with other guests, ask the person about his or her preferences. If someone is traveling with another person but they have requested separate rooms, ask whether they would prefer to be in adjoining rooms. For security reasons, most hotel receptionists inform the guest in writing of his or her room number. While guests who are blind or who have low vision should be told their room numbers orally, care should be taken so third parties do not overhear this information.

New construction and alteration requirements. The ADA requires that newly constructed facilities, first occupied on or after January 26, 1993, meet or exceed the minimum requirements of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design (Standards). Alterations to facilities, spaces or elements (including renovations) on or after January 26, 1992, also must comply with the Standards. The ADA Standards were updated in 2010, and the ADA Standards that are applicable to a place of lodging depend on when it was constructed or altered:

If you build a new facility or modify your existing one, (for example, work such as restriping the parking area, replacing the entry door or renovating the sales counter), make sure to consult the Standards and the title III regulations for the specific requirements. Renovations or modifications are considered to be alterations when they affect the usability of the element or space. For example, installing a new display counter, moving walls in a sales area, replacing fixtures, carpet or flooring, and replacing an entry door. However, simple maintenance, such as repainting a wall is not considered an alteration by the ADA.

Orientation to the Room. Guests who are blind or who have low vision should be offered a thorough orientation to their guest rooms. If the guest accepts the offer, staff should explain the location of the bed, desk (and associated electrical outlet and data port, if provided), dresser, table and chairs, thermostat, television and remote control, light switches and lighting, closet, suitcase stand, and telephone. Staff should also offer to tell the guest how to operate the drapery controls and explain whether the curtains are open or closed and opaque or see-through. Staff should offer to turn the lights on for guests with low vision. If a microwave oven, coffee maker, or safe is provided, its location and operating instructions should also be given. When orienting the guest to the bathroom, staff should explain how to work the shower, where the linens, ice bucket, and glasses are located, and what complementary toiletries (shampoo, lotion, soap, etc.) are provided and how to distinguish them from each other. Staff may also offer to set up the iron and ironing board.

Lighting. Many who are legally blind or who have low vision will appreciate an increase in the amount of available lighting in their rooms. Simply changing light bulbs to a higher wattage or providing extra floor and table lamps may make a significant difference to them. Some hotels inform guests who are blind or who have low vision of the availability of additional room lighting when they check in.

Instructions for Use. During check-in, hotels should inform guests who are blind or who have low vision that the hotel will provide, free of charge, large print, Braille, and recorded instructions for all services for which print instructions are provided for guests. Some of the more common instructions include:

Guest Room Telephones. Many people who are legally blind or who have low vision find it very difficult to see individual numbers on dial pads and important graphics (e.g., for room service, front desk, etc.) on guest room telephones. Most guest room phones are in beige or another neutral color and do not have much contrast between the background color and the color in which graphic information and numbers are displayed. High contrast large print templates can be fashioned to fit over the telephone keypad. Such templates can greatly reduce the number of repeat calls to hotel operators by people who simply cannot see all of the information displayed on the telephone. Some hotels provide such templates in the package of information they provide upon check-in to guests who are blind or who have low vision.

Emergencies. Emergency evacuation instructions should be provided in a way that can be used effectively in the event of an emergency. One way to do this would be to hang Braille and large print evacuation instructions on the back of the door, adjacent to where they are posted for others to see. Audio recordings may not provide effective communication in the event of an emergency.

Menus. Hotels should provide menus in alternate formats including Braille, large print, and audio recording. Additionally, staff should offer to read the menu, including listings and prices. When reading a menu, staff should first read broad categories of items and allow the guest to choose which categories are of interest. Do not rely on sighted companions to provide menu reading assistance, unless your guests indicate that is their preference.

Because some guests who are blind or who have low vision may have difficulty locating their servers, staff should remember to return to the table from time to time, announce their presence, and ask whether the guests need anything else. Staff should also offer to assist guests who are blind or who have low vision in locating restrooms.

Follow the techniques described above to help guests who are blind or who have low vision shop in your stores. Offer assistance with locating items and reading price tags. Identify individual bills when handing currency to a guest. Hand credit cards back to your guest, rather than leaving them on a counter. Provide signature templates or use a piece of cardboard to indicate where your guest should provide a signature.

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