RV Campgrounds Group Retains McDermott Will to Lobby on ADA Issues

A Colorado-based group that represents more than 3,000 private campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks is using McDermott Will & Emery to stake out a presence in Washington.

The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, which hasn't had lobbyists in D.C. before, has deployed McDermott to lobby on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), among other matters concerning parks and campgrounds, congressional records show. McDermott partner David Ransom and legislative affairs director W. Kam Quarles are handling the account, according to a lobbying registration report filed with Congress on Friday.

The organization has expressed concern about ADA accessibility requirements for swimming pools and spas. Under the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, pool owners will be required to make their swimming facilities handicap accessible. The requirements favor fixed pool lifts over the devices' portable counterparts, which, Ransom said, many campgrounds and RV parks have bought.

"So it set off quite a bit of chaos in the industry," said Ransom, who has worked on legal matters for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds for about a year.

The U.S. Justice Department initially required owners of existing pools and spas to comply with the requirements by this year. But, acknowledging private-sector concerns and confusion about the ADA stipulations, the DOJ last month postponed the compliance deadline until Jan. 31, 2013.

The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds had more than 80 visits with members of Congress in May and a meeting with the White House to discuss the ADA regulations, according to a news release from the organization.

Comments

[Bill]

Darren, I'd like a bit of a clarification. Are you suggesting that disabled RVers should not have the same access to public pools that the abled have because of a perception that the disabled are mor litigious?

[rv campground]

I certainly value all the grueling work that you've done keeping this website here for all of us. I hope this stays online for a good long time.

[Darren McKinney]

What position will DOJ take on lawsuits against the proprietors of camp grounds and hotels/motels when some newly "empowered" but still disabled pool enthusiasts invariably drown and their opportunistic survivors seek to blame someone else for the poor judgment of the deceased?

Darren McKinney
American Tort Reform Association
Washington