[IL-Talk] Quads Gym Update

[Deborah Kent Stein]

Thanks for this update! It's wonderful to learn of such a positive outcome. I only wish we didn't have to go through these ordeals to begin with - but every case like this makes a difference.

Debbie S.


-----Original Message-----
From: IL-Talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kelly Pierce via IL-Talk
Sent: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 10:40 PM
To: il-talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Kelly Pierce <kellytalk at gmail.com>
Subject: [IL-Talk] Quads Gym Update

Some may remember last fall when I attempted to become a member of the world famous Quads Gym on north Broadway Street in Chicago, about a mile from where I live.  The owner refused to sell me a membership unless I brought a personal trainer or attendant at my expense to accompany me at all times. He feared I would fall down the stairs or crash into equipment because of my blindness, even though he knew nothing about me or that I had been training in a gym two blocks away for 10 years. Blindness leaders on this list suggested I contact Equip for Equality for legal representation to resolve the dispute.  I did and was very fortunate to be assigned Andrew Webb as my attorney.
Andrew understands blindness as he is a graduate of BLIND, Inc. in Minneapolis like myself. He was graduated from Georgetown and like Patti Gregory-Chang, the University of Chicago Law School, ranked as the third best law school in America by US News and World Report.  We are both members of Disability Lead, a group of leaders and professionals with disabilities in the Chicago area. Andrew wrote a letter to Quads that was perfect describing my legal rights and remedies for them to correct the problem. After some back and forth and two different attorneys from Quads later, I am now a member of Quads Gym. I have performed two workouts already. In addition to granting me a membership, the gym has adopted a comprehensive disability accommodations policy that will apply to anyone else in the future.

I very much appreciate the recommendation here of advocacy from Equip for Equality. Andrew fostered a positive environment of disability acceptance and inclusion that educated Quads both on the legal rights of people with disabilities and my capacities as a powerlifter who has competed in several mainstream competitions as a blind person.  The result was not just a membership at Quads but a staff that has welcomed me, been extremely positive, showed me around, and has offered multiple demonstrations of various kinds of equipment.
Andrew’s positivity and legal talent has been transferred to the staff and even the attorney representing Quads, who are all now both glad to have me as a member. Private attorneys are hungry for ADA cases.
Attitudinal barrier cases like mine that do not require substantial modifications to physical items like websites or services do not fare well when lawyers immediately jump into court with a lawsuit I am told. That’s because the other side hires a litigation lawyer and quickly drops the policy that arose from the dispute. They are left with a hefty legal bill as they work to dismiss the case and declare it moot. Meanwhile, they are often angry, hostile and nasty from being dragged through the legal ringer before any engagement from disability advocates to understand the law and the issues involved.

Thanks everyone for your support, Equip for Equality for taking on the case, and Andrew for his passion, persistence, and awesome legal talent.

Kelly

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