Paralyzed Ohio man says he was denied hotel room because of disability involving bowel control

Paralyzed man accuses Ohio hotel of discrimination

AKRON, Ohio — A man paralyzed from the waist down is accusing a hotel of discrimination, alleging management refused to give him a room because he can’t control his bowels and soiled linens during a previous visit.

Shawn Pouliot said he sought a room at the Akron City Centre Hotel in December but was told by a desk clerk that he had been banned.

Pouliot said his colostomy pouch broke while he slept at the hotel in August. To resolve the situation, he bagged the dirty linens, tipped the maid $100 and paid the hotel $377 for the bedding.

Pouliot, who called the hotel’s response outrageous, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court seeking unspecified financial damages under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“The bottom line is they didn’t want to rent to me because of what happened in August and my situation,” he said. “And I can’t help what happened because I’m disabled.”

A person who answered the phone at the hotel Wednesday said no one would comment on the lawsuit and hung up. A message seeking comment also was left for the hotel’s attorney, John Childs, whose office said he was out of town and unavailable.

Attorney Donald Malarcik, who represents Pouliot, said the lawsuit won’t stop companies from discriminating against people with disabilities, but it can hold them accountable.

The federal law bans discrimination against the disabled and is designed to ensure access to all public buildings for persons with disabilities.

The 39-year-old Pouliot is a businessman whose investments include a restaurant in Akron. A former truck driver, he was awarded $26 million after a 2001 work accident left him in a wheelchair.

Though he lives in nearby Tallmadge, Pouliot said he frequently stays in hotels to get away and clear his mind.

But on Dec. 27, the desk clerk at Akron City Centre said Pouliot would have to leave and called for a security guard, according to the lawsuit. The clerk showed Pouliot a note indicating that a manager had banned him for life because of the soiled linens.

“I said, ‘Are you … kidding me?’” Pouliot recalled. “I was angry … Shocked.”

Pouliot, who left that night for a hotel in the suburbs, said he has the financial means and personal fortitude to fight whenever he sees discrimination.

“I will stand behind any disabled person that feels that they have been at all humiliated or discriminated,” he said. “I want justice.”

Information from: Akron Beacon Journal, www.ohio.com