Guilford-Based American Cruise Lines Reaches ADA Settlement: Feds

GUILFORD, CT — The U.S. Attorney's Office has reached a settlement agreement with American Cruise Lines, which is headquartered in Guilford, to resolve allegations that the company was not operating in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney for the District of CT Vanessa Roberts Avery.

Avery noted that American Cruise Lines has worked cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to address the ADA issues without litigation.

"The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to safeguarding civil rights, including those protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act," Avery said in a news release. "Businesses are required, under the ADA, to appropriately serve a diverse customer base, ensuring that individuals are able to access and enjoy restaurants, service establishments, retail stores and other places of public accommodation. That includes cruise ships. We appreciate American Cruise Lines’ commitment to increasing access to its ships for individuals with physical disabilities and mobility challenges."

Six complaints were received by the U.S. Department of Justice that American Cruise Lines was not accessible to, or usable by, individuals with disabilities who use wheelchairs, Avery said.

American Cruise Lines owns and operates 17 passenger vessels, Avery noted, and this settlement addresses accessibility on all of them.

According to the company's website, American Cruise Lines offers cruises on the Mississippi River, in New England, Southeast U.S., Puget Sound, Alaska, Columbia and Snake Rivers, and in national parks.

The complaints claimed that American Cruise Lines failed to provide cruise ships that were fully accessible to passengers in wheelchairs, failed to provide for safe embarkation and disembarkation procedures for passengers in wheelchairs, and failed to provide wheelchair-accessible ground transportation for passengers during shore excursions, Avery said.

As a result of the settlement, American Cruise Lines will submit a comprehensive remediation plan to improve accessibility for passengers with disabilities aboard all ships within 18 months, and the U.S. will have the opportunity to review and approve the plans before renovations begin.

In addition, the agreement requires American Cruise Lines to adopt ADA-compliant policies, procedures, and training; assign an ADA compliance officer; and establish an accessible website, according to Avery.

Finally, the agreement requires American Cruise Lines to provide safe and accessible boarding and disembarking procedures and staff training, publicly available "accessibility request" and reservation procedures, and portable communication devices to alert deaf passengers when there is an emergency aboard the ship, Avery said.

Under federal law, private entities that own or operate places of "public accommodation," including cruise ships, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability.

The ADA authorizes the Justice Department to investigate complaints and undertake periodic reviews of compliance of covered entities, Avery said.

The Justice Department is also authorized to commence a civil lawsuit in federal court in any case that involves a pattern or practice of discrimination or that raises issues of general public importance, and to seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and civil penalties.

Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in Connecticut is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 203-821-3700.

Additional information about the ADA can be found here, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at 800-514-0301 and 800-514-0383. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available here.