People in the News: Amy Champlin


During a March 2011 visit to a meeting of the National Ataxia Foundation in Los Angeles, Amy Champlin hoped to have the quintessential experience of a guided tour of celebrity homes, but was told she couldn’t be accommodated unless she could walk on to the tour bus. The company, Starline Tours, eventually relented and reserved Champlin an accessible bus, but on the day of the tour, they could not provide it. Champlin had to forego the tour.

Champlin contacted the U.S. Dept. of Justice, which filed suit against Starline for violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A settlement was reached July 16, in which Starline must provide enough accessible vehicles to ensure service for wheelchair users. In addition, all Starline employees must undergo mandatory ADA training.

Champlin says this is a huge victory for people with disabilities. “This isn’t a store that will put in a bathroom or ramp that a person in a wheelchair will use once in awhile,” she says “this is change to a whole industry.”


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