FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CR

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1998                                                                                                                                   (202) 616-2765

                                                                                                                                                                                   TDD (202) 514-1888



ANDY WILLIAMS THEATER IN BRANSON, MISSOURI TO IMPROVE


ACCESS UNDER SETTLEMENT WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT





		WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Theater-goers with disabilities
will have better access when they go to Andy Williams' Moon River
Theater in Branson, Missouri, under an agreement reached today
with the Justice Department.  

	The agreement resolves a complaint lodged with the Justice
Department by a Michigan woman who uses a wheelchair.  In her
complaint, she alleged the theater violated the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) because she could not get to her seat in
her wheelchair.  

	The agreement requires the owner of Moon River Enterprises
to nearly triple the number of accessible seats in the theater,
hang more signs directing patrons to accessible routes, lower the
public telephones, and install visual alarms and alternate stalls
in the bathrooms.  The owner, in fact, took steps to make the
theater accessible prior to signing the agreement.

	"Visitors with disabilities deserve the opportunity to enjoy
all places of entertainment in Branson," said Acting Assistant
Attorney General for Civil Rights Bill Lann Lee.  "As soon as we
approached the Moon River Theater, it began cooperating with our investigation and took
steps to make it more accessible."

	Title III of the 1990 federal law requires owners of public accommodations, including
theaters, to make their facilities accessible for people with disabilities when it is readily
achievable to do so, or when it can be done without much difficulty or expense.  

	Unlike the Moon River Theater, newer facilities that are constructed after the law went
into effect, must comply with specific requirements called the ADA's Standards for Accessible
Design.  

	The Justice Department is currently investigating several other complaints regarding
inaccessible theaters, restaurants, and hotels in Branson, including other newly-constructed or
altered facilities.

	Branson, Missouri, a city located in the Ozark Mountains, is  one of the music capitals of
the country and is a popular destination for senior citizens each year.  

	The Justice Department previously reached settlements with two other facilities in
Branson.  In late February, the Paradise Grill restaurant agreed to bring its facility into
compliance with the ADA's new construction standards.  The owner and architect agreed to make
its facility accessible by modifying its parking area and main entrance, providing appropriate
signs at its restrooms, and improving access in the restrooms designated as accessible.    

	In February 1996, the Blue Velvet Theater agreed to improve access after it had been
investigated for failing to fully comply with the Standards.

	For further information, individuals can call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA
Information Line.  The Information Line was established by Attorney General Janet Reno as part
of a nationwide campaign to educate the public about the ADA.  The number is 1-800-514-0301
(voice) or 800-514-0383 (TDD).  The Justice Department also has established an ADA home
page on the World Wide Web at (http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm).

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