15. Can a person or company refuse to provide goods, services or facilities to me due to my mental illness?

15. Can a person or company refuse to provide goods, services or facilities to me due to my mental illness?

Under the DDO, such refusal is unlawful unless the provision of goods, services or facilities to people with mental or ex-mental illness will cause unjustifiable hardship (see section 4 of the DDO) to the provider. Section 27 of the DDO has listed out some examples of goods, services and facilities covered by the legislation. Here is an example from daily life:

• A restaurant that does not welcome diners who have a mental illness may be committing an unlawful act.

   

  It may also be unlawful for a service provider to discriminate with respect to the terms and conditions and the form of provision of goods, services or facilities. Therefore, if a restaurant permits people with mental illnesses to dine in it, but seats them on their own, away from other diners, this may also amount to discrimination.