“.. the response was that a NJ law requires any new miniature golf course to be wheelchair accessible!”
Federal law. Doesn’t mean the course has to be boring, but a little more thought put into it.
“In other words, I mused, only crappy miniature golf courses can now be built –”
Did this really happen or is this your projection of what the lgame will be like in full compliance?
“which means no one who isn’t handicapped will want to play, effectively killing the pastime”
If obeying the law will kill the pastime, then it doesn’t deserve to remain.
“just so a handful of theoretical miniature golf “diehards on wheelchairs” can play.”
How the fuck would you know how many disabled want to play, if all the ocurses are not ADA compliant?
“I understand the desire to include the disabled in recreational activities,”
Doesn’t sound like you do.
“I’m sure that if I were wheelchair-bound I’d be complaining about all the things I couldn’t do and all the places I couldn’t go.”
So, it’s all about YOU.
It’s not an issue until YOU are impacted.
“Would I have the right, however, to demand access to everywhere I feel like going?”
Pretty much.
“ What I don’t understand is that the federal government has any business telling mini-golf entrepreneurs what they can and can’t do with their own property,”
\You don’t grok why the Feds might have laws against discriminatory practices that don’t discriminate against your interests. How unusual. Much shock.
“ that it can define what a “socially integrated experience” is,”
I think they just define what a wheelchair can and cannot traverse, and people using crutches, canes, walkers, rollers, and so on.
“ and then it can force all of this down everyone’s throat in order to include a small minority which may or may not have any interest in the activity in the first place.”
If the ADA required someone to prove the interest, i would expect disreputable businessmen to stage careful surveys and prove they don’t need to comply. Until each and every business is taken to court.
“Forced compliance would be unnecessary if the need actually existed.”
This is the exact opposite of the argument for not selling gay wedding cakes. “I don’t HAVE to sell, they can always go hours out o ftheir way to some other business.
" An alternative would be to build two courses, one for the disabled and one for the non-disabled.”
So, still discriminating. Just in parallel.