LAS VEGAS (AP) — Born with a brittle bone disorder,19-year-old Las Vegas resident Eric Doyle
has experienced more than 500painful fractures in his lifetime and is so fragile that he spentvirtually
all of his teen years confined to a hospital bed at his home.Allthat changed last summer, when his
family found a wheelchair that canlay him down flat and bought a surplus ambulance from Florida so he
cansafely ride to the movies, restaurants and stores."His life hasdefinitely changed, and so much
so that he doesn’t even reallyunderstand," his father, Jim Doyle, told The Associated Press.
"He’s soused to not being able to do anything … he doesn’t realize how he cando anything
now."But the Doyles encountered problems when theHarbor Cove Homeowners Association refused to
allow the ambulance to beparked in their driveway, saying commercial vehicles were not allowed inan
upscale Las Vegas community.Doyle said he explained the situation but the association kept mailing
complaints and warned of fines."It’s very stressful for him knowing he was unwelcome there,"
Doyle said of his son.He filed a complaint in December with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development — and won a $65,000 settlement."Homeownersassociations must grant reasonable
accommodations that enable residentsto meet the needs of family members with disabilities," Bryan
Greene,HUD’s acting assistant secretary for fair housing, said in a statementWednesday. "Homeowners
associations have the same responsibility ashousing providers to follow fair housing laws."The
management company, First Columbia Community Management Inc., didn’t return a call seeking comment on
Wednesday.TheHOA admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, but they’ve agreed to paythe family and
revise their policy. They also are required to send HOAstaff members to fair housing training and
prominently feature thestatement, "We are a fair housing provider" on letterhead.WhileDoyle
said the family was happy in their old home — it featured doubledoors on a ground-level bedroom and
other amenities that accommodatedwheelchairs — they’ve recently moved out of the community and
intoanother neighborhood without an HOA.On Wednesday evening, thefamily was getting ready to roll Eric
Doyle’s wheelchair into theambulance, strap him onto the stretcher with a racing harness, and takehim
out for a barbecue dinner.His father said he’s happy with the settlement, but is more concerned that
this doesn’t happen again."We didn’t do it for the money," he said. "But we let him buy a
TV and some games. And we paid his ambulance off."Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All
rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten orredistributed.