Disabled woman turned away by pub

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 14th Apr 2008

public house

A wheelchair user has been paid £3,000 after being refused entry to a County Armagh bar which holds weekly meetings for people with disabilities. Catherine Harvey, who has spinal injuries, was turned away from the Cellar Bar in Lurgan.

She was awarded the money in an out-of-court settlement after she was supported by the Equality Commission. The bar owners said there had been a misunderstanding and apologised to Ms Harvey. She was refused entry to the town centre bar in July 2006.

The Equality Commission said the case was taken under the Disability Discrimination Act. It said it was pleased the case was settled and that the bar had admitted liability. The Cellar Bar has agreed to liaise with the Equality Commission on their policies and procedures in relation to disability, and to arrange training for their staff on disability matters.

Eileen Lavery of the Equality Commission said the case "should serve as a reminder to all those who provide services to the public that they cannot discriminate against people on grounds of their disability." She added: "Ms Harvey has mobility difficulties. People with mobility difficulties face many physical barriers and should not have to confront additional barriers caused by discriminatory attitudes."

The Cellar Bar told the Lurgan Mail newspaper that it apologised for "any misunderstanding that may have led to hurt". A spokeswoman said: "We are committed to providing services for the disabled community and have provided services for many years." She said the bar hosted a weekly meeting of the Praxis care group for people with mental and physical disabilities.