What types of changes in policies, practices, or procedures would a public accommodation have to make to ensure equal access to persons with HIV or AIDS?
Even though a public accommodation may not intend to discriminate against persons with HIV or AIDS, its customary way of doing business may unintentionally exclude persons with HIV or AIDS or provide them with lesser services. If reasonable modifications in the business policies, practices, or procedures would rectify the problem, the public accommodation would be required to make those changes unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the goods, services, or facilities at issue. For example:
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A hotel does not allow pets. It would be a reasonable modification of the hotel’s policy to allow a person who has lost his vision from cytomegalovirus retinitis, an AIDS-related illness, to have his service animal stay with him in the hotel.
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A pharmacy requires customers to stand in line to be served. A person with AIDS finds it too tiring to stand in line. It would be a reasonable modification of the pharmacy’s procedures to allow the person to announce her presence and/or take a number and then sit down until her prescription is filled. It may also be a reasonable modification for the pharmacy to provide curbside service.
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