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The Disability Discrimination Act 2006 defines a Disabled Person as someone who:
The Disability Discrimination Act 2006 creates the right for any individual defined by the Act as a Disabled Person not to be discriminated against in the provision of goods, facilities and services, including the Isle of Man Tourism Industry.
Phase 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 2006 commenced on the 1st January 2018 and imposes a duty on the service provider to:
The Equality Act 2017 seeks to provide a unified legal framework to protect individuals from discrimination, harassment and victimisation in both the workplace and the provision of goods and services.
The Equality Act has repealed the following legislation:
The following characteristics are now protected under the Act:
The remaining two characteristics protected under the Act will be effective from 1 January 2020 which will repeal the Disability Discrimination Act 2006:
Compliance with the Equality Act 2017 is a legal obligation, but it also makes good business sense as your customers and employees are diverse.
Organisations that:
In January 2019, Visit Isle of Man hosted an information session on the Equality Act. The presentation from Equality Adviser, Dawn Kinnish, is available here.
Additionally, some employment rights contained within the Employment Act 2006 have been amended.
I am a tourism service provider, what do I need to do?
We request that all tourism providers are required to have an Access Statement in place as best practice. If you have not yet prepared your Statement, guidance can be found here.
Step 1 - Read the ‘Code of Practice’ in full, this document explains your responsibilities and the law surrounding the Disability Discrimination Act 2006.
Please click here to view the current Disability Code of Practice. The IOM Equality Act Code of Practice for business providers will be available later this year, please refer to this document in the meantime.
Step 2 - Familiarise yourself with this document: Accessible Cafes, Restaurant and Hospitality, it is an extremely useful resource for tourism businesses.
Step 3 - Read the Guidance for the Tourism Industry Phase 3 - Disability Discrimination Act, sections of the 'Cofe of Practice' with particular relevance to the tourism industry. Please note that the Code is for guidance only and is not an authoritave statement of the law. The Code aims to help tourism businesses adopt good practice and by following the Code may help to avoid an adverse judgement in a legal challenge.
Step 4 - Complete the Self-Assessment Checklist to review how accessible your service currently is, and to potentially identify ways of improving the accessibility.
Please click here to view the Self-Assessment Checklist
If after completing Step 1 to 4 you have any concerns on how your service or premises comply with either Act, please contact the Disability Awareness Officer or the Equality Adviser who will be more than happy to assist you.
Disability Awareness Officer
Equality Office
Please ensure that you include your name, business name and contact telephone number within the email.
Make your Business Accessible
Guidance as to how you can make your property more accessible can be found in the following downloadable documents.