Mercer Times

Attorney General Platkin expressed his disappointment, stating, “It’s shocking to imagine that a venue hosting a conference for disability advocates would fail to provide an adequate wheelchair-accessible restroom to the attendees. In New Jersey, that’s against the law.” Director of the Division on Civil Rights, Sundeep Iyer, emphasized the importance of ensuring equal access for people with disabilities, saying, “The enforcement actions we are announcing today reinforce that employers, housing providers, and places of public accommodation must meet their legal obligations to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to their facilities.”

The investigation by the Division on Civil Rights revealed that the Crowne Plaza Edison hotel did not provide reasonable accommodations necessary to allow persons with disabilities equal access to the hotel’s facilities. Specifically, the hotel failed to make available a public wheelchair-accessible restroom for conference attendees with disabilities, despite knowing that many used wheelchairs. Instead, conference attendees were directed to inaccessible restrooms or had to be escorted to locked private guest rooms on other floors of the hotel to access wheelchair-accessible facilities.

The Findings of Probable Cause issued by the Division on Civil Rights are a preliminary step indicating there is sufficient evidence to support a reasonable suspicion that the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination was violated. The matter will now proceed to conciliation, where the parties have the opportunity to negotiate a resolution. If a resolution is not reached, further legal action may be taken.

The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights enforces laws against discrimination and bias-based harassment in various areas, including employment, housing, and public accommodation. Individuals who believe their rights under the law have been violated can file a complaint with the Division.

For more information on disability discrimination and the rights of people with disabilities, individuals can visit the Division on Civil Rights website or contact them via phone.