Jacob and Calena Lingle signed up for parent-child swim classes at the Hastings YMCA last summer and asked for a sign language interpreter. The Hastings couple, both deaf since birth, would be accompanying their daughter to class. Aria, whose first language was American Sign Language (ASL), is not hearing-impaired.
The YMCA, citing the cost, repeatedly said no, even after the couple pointed to state and federal laws requiring their disability be accommodated.
Last week, the Lingles filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court against the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities, in a case that pits the need for assistance against the expense and difficulty of providing it.
The YMCA said an estimate put the cost at nearly $1,000 to hire an interpreter. After a lawyer intervened, the organization agreed to give the couple written instructions and a second instructor.
State and federal laws require that employers, businesses, schools, government and nonprofit organizations provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.
But what's "reasonable?"
"That's the $64,000 question," said Minnesota Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey. "Just because it adds additional cost to your program is not always sufficient to say it's unreasonable."
Up at the lake
The Lingles say they vacation each summer at a cabin on Cass Lake in northern Minnesota and they want Aria, now 2½, to feel comfortable and safe playing in the water with her cousins. They signed up for the Sea Lion parent-child swim classes at the YMCA but were denied an interpreter.