FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1997                              (202) 616-2777
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

                                 
    HOTEL BEL-AIR AGREES TO MAKE ITS SERVICES ACCESSIBLE TO
             PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING
                                
                                
     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles will
provide special phones, flashing smoke and fire alarms and
television decoders for closed captioning for guests who are deaf
or hard of hearing, under an agreement reached today with the
Justice Department.  

     Today's settlement with the owners of the Hotel Bel-Air
resolves a complaint filed under the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) by the father of two deaf children who were guests of
the hotel.  The agreement outlines the steps the Bel-Air will
take to comply with the law, including providing closed
captioning decoders, telecommunications devices for the deaf
(TDDs), and other services. 

     "Deaf and hard-of-hearing guests deserve the same quality of
services as other guests," said Isabelle Katz Pinzler, Assistant
Attorney General for Civil Rights.  "By entering into this
agreement, the Hotel Bel-Air has shown that it values all of its
guests.  We are pleased that it will take these steps to ensure
equal treatment."

     According to the complaint, in December 1996 the Crane
family, which was visiting California from Ohio to see the Rose
Bowl, checked into the Bel-Air.  Upon arrival, the father
contacted the hotel management after finding that his two
daughters could not watch the television because it was not
equipped with a closed captioning device.

     Mr. Crane spoke with four different managers over the course
of two days to try to obtain the equipment.  He finally suggested
the hotel contact the Greater Los Angeles Council of the Deaf
(GLAD) about renting a decoder.  The hotel contacted the group
but indicated that it would not pay the rental fee and never
provided the Crane family with the decoder.  
  
     Under today's agreement the hotel will:

     *    purchase 9 TDDs for guests (and an additional TDD to be
          used at the front desk);

     *    install flashing alarms to alert deaf and hard-of-
          hearing guests of visitors and phone calls;

     *    install flashing alarms to alert deaf and hard-of-
          hearing guests of fire and smoke;

     *    provide televisions with decoders for closed caption
          television broadcasts;

     *    make arrangements, within two hours, to rent or share
          additional TDDs upon receiving a request by an deaf or
          hard-of-hearing guest that cannot be met because all
          units are already in use; and,

     *    pay $5,000 in compensatory damages to the Crane family.

     The Department reached a similar agreement today with the
Lauderdale Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
  
     Under the Title III of the ADA, which was signed into law
July 26, 1990, public accommodations, such as hotels, must
provide effective communication for persons with hearing
disabilities.  This includes the provision of TDDs, televisions
with captioning and visual alarms.  The Justice Department has
reached more than 500 settlements under the federal disabilities
law.

     Copies of the settlement may be obtained by calling the ADA
Information Line at 1-800- 514-0301 (voice) or 1-800-514-0383
(TDD).  ADA information is also available from the Department of
Justice's HomePage on the internet, at: 
           (http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm).
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