This building was constructed in 1883 and was converted into a B&B in 1990. It became operational in 1991.

Was this facility accessible prior to 2005? No.

As of this year, the ground floor is now assessible and we have one guest bedroom on the groundfloor that is disabled friendly. A heavy duty handrail has been installed by the commode and the showerstall has a handrail and built in shower seat.

Are the 2nd and 3rd floors accessible by wheelchair? No.

Do I have plans for making them assessible? No.

My reason for this is that the American Disabilities Act specifies "fair and reasonable accomodation."

It was reasonable to make the ground floor accesible by raising the back patio to the level of the back door and by adding a wheelchair ramp to the side porch.

It is not reasonable to expect that I will install an elevator to the 2nd floor in a building that only has 7 guest bedrooms. The cost of installation would be prohibitive for such a small business.

Do I promote this facility as being accessible? No. Only the ground floor is fully accessible. _________________ Inn at Elizabethville

There are lots of ways of being accessible -- wheelchair isn't the only disability that needs attention. Rooms can be made accessible by having devices for hearing- and sight-impaired people, like smoke detectors that are visual (yep, that's for the heairing-impaired) or signs in braille (though most sight-impaired people don't read braille). You can have door and faucet levers rather than knobs for dexterity-impaired people. A shower seat is helpful for a variety of guests you may have.

Face it, as the Baby Boomer generation ages -- which we are doing, you're going to have an increasing demand for accessibility. Make your changes now or lose you business later.

Need more business? It's an untapped market you could profit from catering to.

Providing access for your customers is just plain good business. It puts your inn into consideration for the millions of travelers who need access. And this is not limited to wheelchairs. Some people use walkers or canes; they have difficulty with stairs or steps.

I urge all innkeepers to take a look at the access requirements and if necessary consider making appropriate modifications. Those needing access represent a substantial portion of anybody's market...at 20 percent of the population.

The truth is that many business people think they have access when they actually don't; many of the requirements are simple and inexpensive...such as designating a parking space for wheelchair users and posting the correct signage. No construction needed for that. A restaurant in my town advertises itself as accessible, however there is no accessible parking. No parking lot and no level spaces for wheelchair users in front to the business. Another building in my town contains a collection of shops on two levels; it actually has an accessible elevator but nobody knows it because there is no sign.