FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1995                          (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888


      WISCONSIN DAY CARE CENTER AGREES TO BECOME ACCESSIBLE
                  TO CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

    Settlement is First of Its Kind with a Child-Care Facility

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A Wisconsin day care center that refused
to assist a young girl with cerebral palsy with her leg braces
reached an agreement today with the Justice Department to develop
a policy which will make its facility more accessible to children
with disabilities.
     The settlement stems from a complaint filed with the Justice
Department alleging that the Sunshine Child Center in Gillett
discriminated against four year-old Belinda Brock, in violation
of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  In the complaint,
the girl's mother, Brenda, claimed that the center's staff said
they would not remove and put on Belinda's leg braces.  The
center, which provides separate services to children aged three
and younger and children aged 4 through 12, also allegedly told
the mother that Belinda would be kept back with the younger age
group because she required diaper changing.  Today's settlement
resolves the mother's complaint.
     "Often, simple measures are all that are needed to integrate
a child with a disability into society," said Assistant Attorney
General for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick.  "We must not permit 
unlawful acts to hold back children with disabilities."
     Under the settlement the day care center has agreed to:
    readmit Belinda, who had been removed from the center by her
     mother; 

    put on and remove braces for Belinda and for any other child
     with a disability in a similar situation;

    change the diapers of any child with a disability when
     needed without segregating the child to an inappropriate age
     group;

    remove some architectural barriers that impeded access to
     its parking area and restrooms; and

    take steps to ensure that a new facility housing the center,
     expected to be completed by June 1997, will fully comply
     with the ADA's guidelines for new construction.

     The ADA prohibits discrimination against persons with
disabilities.  Title III of the ADA requires that private
entities, including day care centers, remove barriers to access
when it is readily achievable and make reasonable modifications
to their policies when necessary to avoid discriminating against
people with disabilities.  Today's agreement is the first formal
settlement under the ADA between the Justice Department and a
private entity in the state of Wisconsin.
     "Without the ADA, Belinda, and children like her, could face
a childhood full of unnecessary hardship," added Patrick.
     Last year, Attorney General Janet Reno launched a national
campaign to educate Americans about their rights and obligations
under the ADA.  The campaign, which included public service
announcements distributed to hundreds of television and radio
stations, advertised a toll-free ADA information line.  The
number is 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383(TDD).
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