HOA and Americans with Disabilities Act

Here's some answers:

http://www.nad.org/issues/civil-rights/fair-housing-act/housing-discrimination

According to the website, you must provide interpreters for the meetings.

I don't know about your state or how fast people type, but if the hearing impaired attend meetings you could do it like a chat room and have everyone type.

I was doing some business with hearing impaired people and we used email. I've also used FB chat. That would be less expensive and something that is already available.
In California, a new law passed for that allows electronic attendance to meetings, but there are special rules so you might be able to work something out in your area.

Keep in mind that when we get old, we all go deaf and blind so anything you do is looking toward the future. ;) My mother swears she not deaf (and I mumble), but I can hear the TV through the whole house.

Interesting question.

All the reading I have done to date indicates that the ADA does not apply to HOA's because the HOA is not a place of public accomodation. The federal Fair Housing Act applies insofar as requiring the association to allow a handicapped person to install reasonable accomodations in common areas at the expense of the handicapped person.

The question raised here, though, involves not the physical facilities but rather how the association conducts its meetings.

Are the complaining parties truly deaf or just hard of hearing? If they are just hard of hearing, could the problem be solved with some sort of microphone and amplifier system? If they are deaf, the association should allow them to bring in a sign language interpreter at the deaf person's expense.

You might also want to take a close look at the layout of your meeting room. I am borderline hearing impaired myself and know that there are certain places where I cannot hear a thing and other places where I have no problem. Have the complaining parties made any suggestions as to how they can be accomodated?

> The federal Fair Housing Act applies insofar as requiring the association to allow a handicapped person to install reasonable accomodations in common areas at the expense of the handicapped person.

Extending the concept, the HOA would be required to allow the deaf person to bring an interpreter to the meeting at his own expense.

In any case- the HOA would be well advised to proceed carefully. Ask for specific language/ precedent from the requester; review with your own counsel if necessary; and bring before the board for a vote if expenses are anticipated.