A family visiting North Myrtle Beach says the city’s beach tent ban doesn’t properly accommodate people with disabilities.
The Olivo family vacations from Richmond, Virginia every summer.
One member has multiple sclerosis, which is a disease that attacks the nerves and makes it hard to get around. They say umbrellas aren’t enough protection for her, so they put up a beach tent.
The city bans beach tents May 15 through September 15. So, a lifeguard quickly asked the Olivos to take the tent down.
They said the lifeguard politely explained the rules and offered them an additional umbrella to use.
But they explained that’s not enough.
“I mean, we were told that we can have as many umbrellas that you want to cover her,” Kate Sullenger said. “But we shouldn’t have to put seven umbrellas up around her when a tent that we purchased, that’s very easy to put up and down, should suffice.”
News13 asked the city if there are exceptions to the beach tent ban. For people with disabilities, basically no there is not.
“We don’t have the expertise, nor do we have the authority to tell somebody you have a disability or you don’t,” said city spokesperson Pat Dowling.
Dowling said you can put up multiple umbrellas. He also pointed out that the lifeguard offered the Olivos an extra one.
The family said a tent serves more protection than an umbrella. “The tent would provide her with the opportunity to stay on the beach,” Darren Olivo said. “Which is a good thing, because it’s very difficult for her to get up the stairs and back down when the rain is over.”
Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, many local beaches have wheelchair ramps and handicap accessible walkways.
But the Executive Director of Able South Carolina said accommodations should be available from a trip’s start to finish.
“The city is very much required to make their programs fully accessible to people with disabilities,” Kimberly Tissot said. “And also allowing accommodations for people to actually access these programs.”
The only exception to the city’s tent ban is baby tents, which can be no larger than three feet.
Dowling said the city has received a few complaints similar to the Olivos’ over the years and that they forwarded the issue to the city manager.
