On Monday, July 26, 2010, the 20th anniversary of the signing of the original Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Justice released a major revision to the Act, which included the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design. A number of different kinds of facilities will be impacted by this revision, including swimming pools.
The level of accessibility depends on the size and type of the pool. For pools under 300 linear feet in size, the ADA Standard for Accessible Design calls for one means of access, which must be either an ADA-compliant pool lift, or a sloped entry. Pools with greater than 300 linear feet of pool wall must also have a second means of entry. This second means can either be another lift or ramp, or it can also be a transfer wall, transfer system or pool stairs.
A complete summary of the new requirements can be viewed at:
http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/ADAregs2010.htm
In October of 2009, S.R.Smith acquired Rehamed International, a global leader in swimming pool access equipment. S.R.Smith now offers a complete line of ADA-compliant pool lifts, including the PAL which was the first completely portable, battery-powered lift available on the market.