USC Agrees to Comply with Federal Law by Expanding the USC Hotel’s Accessibility for Individuals with Mobility Disabilities

          LOS ANGELES – The University of Southern California has agreed to resolve allegations that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at its USC Hotel adjacent to its campus by failing to provide a wheelchair-accessible room to a customer who needed one.

          An individual who uses a wheelchair because of his disability initiated this federal complaint. The man required an accessible room with a roll-in shower, according to the settlement agreement. The complainant alleged that he used an online reservation system to book a room at the 240-room hotel, then known as the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Midtown at USC or USC Radisson, anticipating that an accessible room would be available. He also alleged that when he arrived, he was unable to stay at the hotel because the hotel’s only wheelchair accessible room with a roll-in shower was occupied.

          The United States investigated this case and determined that as of March 2018, the hotel had an insufficient number of accessible guest rooms with mobility features as defined by federal law.

          The settlement agreement ensures that individuals with mobility disabilities who wish to stay at the USC Hotel can book accessible guest rooms. USC has agreed to renovate the hotel to add nine accessible guest rooms as well as an accessible registration counter. USC also agreed to ensure that the hotel’s website contains sufficient information to allow individuals with disabilities to make informed decisions when booking accessible rooms.

          The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

          Assistant United States Attorney Acrivi Coromelas of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section handled this matter.

          For more information on the ADA or this settlement agreement, please call the toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0308 (TDD), or access the ADA website at http://www.ada.gov.

          This year marks the ADA’s 30th anniversary. The Department of Justice – including the U.S. Attorney’s Office – plays a central role in advancing the nation’s goal of equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. The Justice Department will continue to use its enforcement and technical assistance tools to eliminate unlawful discrimination against people with disabilities.