We stay at a Good Sam 5 star campground once a year for a month. Setting the ttrailer up so the in-laws can come down from NE Iowa and visit old friends down here.
QUESTION. The sites nearest the showers/toilets/laundry are all taken up mu people who stay there all year or all season. There are no handicap sites avaaiable as there are in a lot of other sites...state parks, KOAs etc.
The owners answer when I inquire booking a year in advance for my in-laws 3 years now (in their 70's) and using canes for people with disabilities to drive there.
The rigs across the street are all equipped with bicycles and other gear.
I too, am handicapped courtesy of my Air Force service (not complaining loved it)but walking is something I can manage for a distance, with a 4 foot cane velcroed to my forearm because wrist cannot support back. However, my moter-in-law almast went head first in the shrubbery walking there except fo my wife catching her.
Does anyone know the rules???
Travelin Two Tails Ballot N Bandit
(pt Wolf)(pt Mastiff) ME > USAF-retired, still chauffeur. WIFE > Navigator BOSS
'03 F250 6.0 PSD Super Duty Camper Special '02 28ft Wildwood FKSS
Most states do not have any laws on parks or campgrounds other than buildings and that's only on new or replacement construction since you are in a self contained unit. You'll find out only some of the new or rebuild State Parks have any handicap sites and they are not always dedicated for the handicap. When we set up for a Samboree in Michigan we follow a set of rules that those who need power for health reasons have the power they need and those who are handicapped are parked on hard level surface in a central location.
I am the driver for my other half...a wheelchair user with Cerebral Palsy... here's a link to the fed's ADA website, I'm sure you will all find it somewhat useful.
Don't you have any other park? How did it get to be a 5 star with no handicapped facilities? So many of us, as we get older, don't get around too well. Almost every park I have called for a reservation has had handicapped facilities. If they didn't, I politely thanked them and checked further. There are some websites that show campgrounds which I didn't find in Woodalls or the other books. That might be another option. I am at the leading edge of the "boomers" and I am handicapped. I can walk a short distance, or I used to until my feet started playing games with me. They will be ok and then I have such severe pain I can't put weight on them. Frustrating.
Apparently the park manager could care less if you came back. Maybe one of their friends locally has a large enough yard the rig could be parked there (my back yard is an acre and I have paved access for friends, 50 amp hookup and water). Just brainstorming a little bit.
To me, the ADA is a "one size fits all of us" law. On Monday I am partly disabled, but by Wednesday I am back to 100% disabled. If the ADA is the way you want to go, there are some attorneys who do that work Pro Bono I think. Winco pulled stunt where I live and a friend of a friend told this attorney who called me, saying he would sue them at no charge to me. That said, he may have made a bundle off Winco, I don't know. I thanked him and said no thanks, I don't need the stress, I will just shop elsewhere. So it may depend on whether you prefer to battle the current manager or go somewhere else.
The more I think about this, the more burned up I get about it. The op has a service connected disability and the campground does not care? Not only are they not in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act, but they are indifference with those who have served our country and gave with part of their life's ability. As I am also a disabled veteran, I usually ignore it when it affects only me. But when it affects other veterans, I am willing to speak up and go the distance! The first thing after expressing disappointment with the owners of the park and customer service at the Good Sam Headquarters, is to reach out to the local veteran's service organizations. Let them know what is going on in their own back yards. It would be very interesting to see a bunch of VFW or American Legion members protesting in front of a campground, especially a 5 star rated Good Sam campground. If nothing is done after this approach, there are other RV web forums which have forums for Military and Military Veterans. Post what is going on in those places.
And please free to pm me if you need any help on this matter!
I don't remember ever seeing a handicapped parking site in a private campground. Our state parks (Indiana) do have handicapped sites and are held for the handicapped. I suspect, if the campground is full and the handicapped sites are the only ones left, they would be given to anyone. Of course there is a 14 day stay limit.
Perhaps Good Sams Club, KOA, CC and all the other club/businesses should encourage some consideration. It might be a proactive step to avoid government regulation or bad PR from protests.
Doug
Doug & Sandy
Megan (14 yr old Golden)
2008 Southwind
2001 Honda CRV
In Illinois, some state parks hold handicapped sites for individuals with a P2A (most severe disabily rating) state disability card or a disabled vet ... until an hour after dark, then they allow anybody to occupy them until 9 a.m. the next morning, when they must be vacated and opened for someone with a legitimate disability (Starved Rock State Park, for example).
Other state parks will give all the handicapped spots to anybody who claims they are disabled (which allows for substantial abuse in my opinion). (And no, you are not disabled if you can ride a bike or climb up on the roof of your RV).
In other words, who gets the handicapped spots is up to the local staff.
In my opinion, if a camper doesn't have a state disability card, certifying a certain level of disability (no, not Uncle Joe's temporary handicapped parking sticker from 2001) ... or a disabled Vet card ... they shouldn't be allowed to occupy a handicapped camping spot.
Yes, I know that there are many different kinds of physical and mental limiting factors that result in people having difficulty making it through the day.
My comment about not being disabled if you can ride a bike or climb on the roof of your RV ... isn't meant to demean people's pain and suffering.
However, if you are healthy enough to ride a bike or climb on the roof of your RV, then you obviously are capable of camping in a non-level, non-ADA camp site.
Most handicap sites we've seen in campgrounds are paved, level sites which are designed and set up to accommodate wheelchairs. They are usually close to a bath house and/or other facilities helpful to a wheelchair bound person. Both of us are "handicapped" but not wheelchair dependent so we prefer to leave those sites to ones who would benefit from them the most. As a matter of fact we usually try to get as far from campground facilities as possible as it tends to give us a quieter, more peaceful spot and forces us to get the exercise we probably need anyway in order to use those facilities if we feel the need to. As far as "laws and/or rules" can't really remember ever seeing anything set in stone. Granted there are many who abuse the use of these sites but the same thing happens daily at grocery store, shopping centers and other parking lots with handicapped parking sites.
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