Disabled daughter can’t take aide to gym

Dear Amy: My daughter is disabled. She is unable to do much for herself, and needs an aide to help her with everything — including going to the gym. She loves going, but needs help getting onto/out of the equipment, and cleaning the equipment after use.

The aide never uses the equipment.

The gym, however, wants to charge my daughter an extra fee for bringing “a guest.”

Several of their employees said that they must charge a fee for the aide for “liability reasons.”

I explained that their policy is discriminatory to persons with disabilities, and therefore illegal. My daughter is using an aide as another disabled person might employ a support animal. Their response was, “Well, her aide is not an animal. If your daughter brings a guest, she must pay for it.”

I spoke to a manager a few weeks ago, who told me I would get a call from a regional manager. A month has now gone by and now the gym is closed. I never received a call back.

When this crisis passes, I must deal with what is discrimination.

Should I engage an attorney? — Furious in Virginia

Dear Furious: I don’t think you need an attorney. When the gym reopens, you should go in, work your way past the employees, and educate the manager about your daughter’s rights. Yes, call the regional manager again, discussing the gym’s responsibilities.

You can contact the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (dredf.org) to research this issue. An email address and phone number are listed on the website.

I am aware that charging an extra fee for aides has been an issue with some gyms (shame on them). At least one national fitness chain has been pressured by a lawsuit in New York State to drop this “guest” fee, and I assume other national chains have already (or will) follow suit.

Readers can send email to askamy@ amydickinson.com or letters to “Ask Amy” P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY, 13068.