Dear City Council members,
I wanted to share my experience with accessibility at Burgess pool recently. I have been attending Aqua Fitness and Aqua Wellness classes in recent years and have been using the instructional pool for lap swimming lately. Because of a disability, I can’t use ladders and have enjoyed being able to use the stairway in the accessible/instructional pool.
Over the past several weeks, lap swim times have become more and more limited as more swim lessons and swim team times have been added to the schedule. It’s become nearly impossible to find a time that would be available for a working, disabled adult in the accessible/instructional pool.
At a visit on November 21, the instructional pool had been opened up to open swim and additional swim lessons during lap swim time (contrary to the published schedule). I asked the pool manager about the change and got no real response. On other days, I’ve been asked to move lanes when a lesson starts. Disabled people who are dependent on the lift or stairs have also been asked to leave the one lane they can swim in. In my discussion with the pool manager and follow up e-mail, I never got a response to my questions about this.
Because of the limited swim times, elimination of the Aqua Wellness program, lack of ADA compliant doors in the building, and no response to my questions - it seems that disabled people may not be welcome at Burgess pool. We are certainly not prioritized.
Since my last visit to Burgess, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to switch to a private pool with more open lap swim times and programs. I am disappointed that Burgess pool isn’t more inclusive of the entire community, particularly for a group who probably needs it the most.
Karen Jewell
