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  • Wheel Chair Accessibility

    Do all haunts have to be wheel chair accessible or is it state by state, county by county dependent? I have seen a lot of haunts post on their website No wheel chairs. Is this legal?

    thanks

    -V

  • #2
    Talk to your local authorities. Most entertainment facilities have to meet ADA standards but it will greatly depend on your local authorities.
    Zach Wiechmann
    www.frontyardfright.com

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    • #3
      I think they are suppose to be... I know our city officials required us to be as much as possible. Some situations its just not possible but your local area has different requirements.

      Larry
      Larry Kirchner
      President
      www.HalloweenProductions.com
      www.BlacklightAttractions.com
      www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
      www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

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      • #4
        Thanks! I will look into it. It would be a huge difference between 48 inch hallways and 36inch or even narrower

        -V

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        • #5
          44 inches is what we have always been required to have. I have been told by my building inspector that 44" is wide enough to accommodate any standard wheelchair and it allows them to be able to turn the chair completely around in a circle without a problem. I think this is pretty much standard throughout the country. However, many cities will not make this mandatory and some will make you put another way through or around to bypass the scene that is to small.

          Like what was already suggested, check with your local inspector to see what they will require from you.

          Good luck,

          Howie "Slobber" Erlich
          1986-1997 (Mutilation Mansion,) 1998 (Screamers Haunted House,) 1999 (Evil Intention Haunted House,) 2000-2001 Concept Creator/Business Partner (Urban Legends Haunted House,) 2002 Floor Plan Designer and Consultant for a (Haunted Barn) Owners had city challenges & were never able to open, 2002 Floor Plan Designer/Construction (Fright Nights Haunted House) 2003-2012 Now retired Owner (Deadly Intentions Haunted Attraction)

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          • #6
            We have been to many haunts in western NY . Most of them do not comply with ADA. stairs small hallways. We were for three years then we decided to make some of our hallways thinner. the state and local inspectors didn't say anything. Being ADA compliant is our choice. This is in NYS haunted houses are considered fun houses so they do not have to be ADA compliant.
            In Darkness they hunt the living
            http://www.DarkMatterScreamWorks.com

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            • #7
              I heard lawyers pay handicapped people "under the table" to find places that are not ADA compliant so they can sue them. The ADA law says the handicapped person cannot collect the damages for ADA issues, but a third party can. (These types of things work their way into bills because someone says "if this passes, people are going to be suing everyone left and right, just to make money!" But then another politician says, "Then we'll remove the incentive for the handicapped to be suing but will leave it up to third parties when it becomes a problem." But of course, the change creates ANOTHER problem. Like they say, the only law that works from Washington is the law of unintended consequences. The lawyers always find a way to twist the law into a way to make money for themselves.)

              I have had dozens of people call and ask if we are ADA accessible, and when I say yes, sometimes they just hang up. We've only had one come through though. It does make one suspicious.

              I would check elsewhere than just the forum. If it turns out it IS required, and you have a doorway that doesn't meet that requirement, it can cost you dearly (unless there is another way you can take the wheelchair around that door). It's like the people who drive around restaurants to see if they are playing unlicensed music, then fine the owners if they are. They do NOTHING productive other than live off of catching people who are not up to speed on some legal detail, then exploiting that ignorance for maximum financial gain. It's it better to know ahead of time and avoid the headache.
              www.TerrorOfTallahassee.com

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              • #8
                I am checking with my local fire marshal and my attorney, and I am leaning towards 80% of the haunt wheelchair accessible and letting anyone in a wheel chair in for free.

                -V

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                • #9
                  oh yeah

                  Its definitely not YOUR choice. And it wont be a problem until a lawyer gets your butt. A lot of places can be grandfathered in, we create an ADA access path around certain scenes. Its tough watching the tail wag the dog. We actually had 6 wheelchairs come through. We were surprised, the funny thing was some beast was in her chair and the wheel broke going up the ramp so she just got her big ass up and walked through with no problem. No wonder Disney changed its rules regarding wheelchairs. Its a shame, I feel for them to be stuck in a chair but punishing everyone else because of their predicament doesn't make it "FAIR" (happy Liberals?). It cost me thousands this year to get ADA compliant. Even made me build a new ramp to get inside the building because the ramp that was already there didn't make the officials warm and fuzzy enough. The building was built in 1957, but no grandfather consideration for us. There aren't enough seminars in the world to prepare you enough for a power wielding pussy who got his ass kicked all through school.

                  Joe
                  The Shallow Grave
                  Joe Phillips
                  The Shallow Grave
                  Winter Haven FL
                  http://www.theshallowgrave.com/

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                  • #10
                    V, you don't need to let them in for free just because they're missing 20% or so of the attraction. Folks who are disabled understand their situation and know what they're getting themselves into. You may even find some of the insulted by being let in for free as they may view it as a "charity case". But that's up to you as the haunt owner. Just throwing it out there that wheelchair or not they're still your customer and they know to come prepared to pay like all HUMANS do regardless of their physical state.

                    Just my two cents.
                    Bryce Ring
                    Co-owner/ Designer
                    Twisted Realms Haunted House

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                    • #11
                      Bryce, thanks for the feedback. I am still researching everything and will make a decision sometime in the near future. we have haunts in CO that are 100% NOT wheelchair accessible. I just need to do more digging.

                      thanks

                      -V

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                      • #12
                        Why not?

                        ADA is not enforced in our area, but we are very rural. Still, I went ahead and widened by hallways to allow wheelchair access just because - and it works. We have at least one or two that come through every year, and sometimes they go through multiple times because they appreciate the fact we made it wheelchair friendly. The challenge is our tram, because we have to physically lift them onto the tram and carry them to a seat, but they love it anyway! Its a goodwill type of thing I guess.
                        Travis "Big T" Russell
                        President
                        Big T Productions Inc

                        Owner and Operator of "The Plague" and "Camp Nightmare"

                        Customer Quote of the year: "Damn, I pissed myself"

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