ADA Swimming Pool Lift Chair Compliance
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2011/10/11 - Updated: 2022/06/22
Category Topic: Transfer Hoists and Lifts - Academic Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Information and new regulations regarding ADA swimming pool and spa compliance access for persons with disabilities. All swimming pools and spas that receive government funding or membership dues must install a pool lift or sloped entry that complies with ADA regulations.
Defining Swimming Pool Lift
- Swimming Pool Lift
- A pool or spa lift assists people with difficulty getting in and out of pools and spas. A swimming pool lift for disabled people is a mechanized seat that is tasked with raising and lowering a disabled or injured person into a swimming pool. This seat usually features some restraint to keep the individual in question from leaving the seat voluntarily or falling off. Pool lifts can be of use to anyone who has difficulty getting into a pool, whether they use a wheelchair, walker, or are just unsteady on their feet for any reason. A pool or spa lift can be for in-ground or above-ground pools and mounted on or on cement or wooden deck surfaces. Pool lifts can be installed as part of the pool installation or after the fact as an aftermarket item.
Introduction
The American Disability Act's part relating to public swimming pools and spas states that all such public facilities will, from March 15, 2012, be required to install assisted entry systems to enable people with disabilities to gain independent access to such facilities.
Main Content
All swimming pools and spas that receive government funding or membership dues must install a pool lift or sloped entry that complies with ADA regulations, according to the earlier 2010 Standard for Accessible Design rulings.
All public swimming pools and spas will be required to install pool lift chairs, and sloped entry points to enable people with handicaps and disabilities to access the facility.
Any pool with a perimeter wall greater than 300 linear feet will legally require two access points, while smaller pools need only one.
Access points for larger pools may consist of a pool lift chair and a sloped entry or a transfer wall or portable staircase.
Spas must have either ADA-compliant pool lift chairs, a transfer wall, or a sloped entry.
All pool lifts and pool lift chairs, to be considered ADA compliant, must conform to the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design:
- Pool lift chairs must have a solid seat that is at least sixteen inches wide and a stable footrest to be ADA compliant.
- Any facilities that have a sling-style pool lift chairs will need to replace them with chairs that are ADA compliant.
- The pool lift chair should have controls that the disabled person can access and operate both in the water and on the deck.
- Pool lift chairs should not be obstructed when not in use as obstructions could result in a disabled person becoming stranded in the pool.
- Any facilities with existing pool lifts that need to be rotated manually with a hand crank are not ADA compliant and must be replaced with those that are.
- A pool lift chair should have the capacity to hold a minimum of 300 pounds in weight and be able to withstand up to 450 pounds, enabling it to carry most individuals.
- To enable people with disabilities to transfer safely from wheelchair to lift and vice versa, the lift should be situated over the pool deck and sixteen inches from the pool when the seat is raised.
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.