With a little less than two months before the Disability Discrimination Act 2006 (DDA) commences its phased introduction the Department of Health and Social Care has prepared several publications to assist service providers in understanding their duties under the Act.

From 15 December 2016 it will be unlawful for a provider of services in the Isle of Man to discriminate against a disabled person in how goods, facilities and services are provided and in the disposal or management of premises.

Six new publications are available:

• What service providers need to know
• Good practice guides, one tailored to accessible retail and the other to accessible cafes, restaurants and hospitality
• A self-assessment checklist for service providers who may wish to consider the accessibility of their service, and an action plan to follow up any improvements noted in the self-assessment checklist. These documents may help those service providers that wish to consider their service accessibility ahead of the Act’s introduction
• A sample customer service policy relating to providing goods and service to people which service providers may tailor and adapt to show their commitment to making their services available to disabled persons.

These publications are available for download at www.gov.im/dda under ‘downloadable documents’ along with the previously published Guide for Small to Medium Businesses, the Code of Practice, and Guidance on the Meaning of Disabled.

In December 2015 Tynwald approved an Order to bring the DDA into force, in stages, with the final phase commencing in January 2020. This approach has been taken to give service providers and property owners time to make any reasonable adjustments to comply with the legislation.

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