78. Assistance dogs enable their owners to be independent. Assistance dogs are trained to assist people with epilepsy, people who are visually impaired, people with limited mobility, people with hearing difficulties, diabetes, and other conditions. 

79. To refuse entry to an assistance dog owner is discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.  Therefore, consider the following:

  • Be transparent – make sure communications and access information state that assistance dogs are welcome.
  • Provide a ‘Spending Area’ with a bowl of water.
  • Have a dialogue with the owner of the dog to understand both attendees’ needs (e.g., will there be other dogs on site, do they need access to somewhere to store dog food, is there any further support may be needed?)
  • Outline how the venue manages interactions between other attendees and assistance dogs.