CINCINNATI (AP) – A YMCA in Ohio excluded a 6-year-old boy from a summer camp and some other programs because he has Down syndrome and treated him hypocritically after using his photos in its promotions extolling opportunities for everyone, his mother says in a federal lawsuit alleging discrimination.
The lawsuit filed recently in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati accuses the Great Miami Valley YMCA in Butler County of violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the federal Rehabilitation Act by not providing “reasonable accommodations” in its programs and by discriminating and retaliating against the boy based on his disability. The lawsuit wants the YMCA ordered to provide such accommodations and seeks unspecified damages for Denise Watts and son Steven Heffron.
Watts’ attorney, Richard Ganulin, says the YMCA also has refused to assess Steven to determine reasonable modifications to its practices and procedures to help the child.
“It’s a slap in the face to use Steven as a poster child and then deny him equal opportunities,” Watts said.
The American with Disabilities Act requires summer camps and other entities accommodating the public to make reasonable modifications enabling those with disabilities to participate fully in all programs and activities, and the Justice Department has said that generally means children with disabilities are entitled to attend any camp or activity nondisabled children attend.