A restaurant has paid a man who relies on a disability assist dog $3500 in compensation and apologised after it refused to let him eat lunch indoors with his animal.
File image. Photo: 123RF
The Wellington restaurant will also complete anti-discrimination training with new and existing employees, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) says.
HRC director of human rights proceedings Michael Timmins said the restaurant acknowledged in writing that it discriminated against the man and apologised for breaching the Human Rights Act 1993.
The $3500 was compensation for humiliating the man, eroding his dignity, and injuring his feelings.
"Notably, the restaurant accepted that the term 'guide dog' used to describe 'disability' in the Human Rights Act includes disability assist dogs as defined in the Dog Control Act 1996," Timmins said.
"This settlement is a timely reminder to service providers, including those in the hospitality industry, that the Human Rights Act requires them to reasonably accommodate customers with a disability. Such accommodation is not a 'nice-to-have' but a legal obligation.
Reasonable accommodation often cost businesses little or nothing, Timmins said.
"It can be as simple as changing attitudes, adjusting how they communicate with customers, or making existing facilities accessible. Some of these solutions are common courtesy. At other times businesses may need to redesign their systems and practices to accommodate persons with disabilities."
The parties' identities are confidential.