Carnival agrees to make its ships more accessible to disabled

<br>MIAMI (AP) _ Carnival Cruise Lines settled a discrimination lawsuit by promising to make its cruise ships more accessible to the disabled. <br><br>The agreement signed Monday calls for Carnival to

Tuesday, April 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ Carnival Cruise Lines settled a discrimination lawsuit by promising to make its cruise ships more accessible to the disabled.

The agreement signed Monday calls for Carnival to make up to 25 cabins on each of its ships more accommodating to the disabled, said attorney Matthew Dietz, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Access Now, a nonprofit group for Americans with disabilities.

Of those cabins, Dietz said four to five on every Carnival vessel must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which involves enlarged doorways, less cramped interiors and showers accessible to people who use wheelchairs.

Tim Gallagher, a Carnival spokesman, declined to give details of the settlement but confirmed that his company decided to make ``substantial changes'' to its fleet.

The settlement must be approved by a judge.

Access Now has similar lawsuits pending against Royal Caribbean International, Magical Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line-Westours and Costa Crociere.