Service-dog law getting sorely needed update
wrote Hawkins in a letter to Michelle Stilwell, B.C. minister of social development and social innovation, calling for the public to be better educated about service dogs.
Stilwell forwarded the letter to B.C.’s justice minister, and the provincial government said the issue would best be handled under the human rights code.
Hawkins said she would prefer to be upfront about the need for her dog on the job, but interviewers “kind of get distracted by the dog and the interview becomes about the dog instead of about my abilities.”
Hawkins, who has a master of arts and seeks work as a museum curator or administrator, worked on a contract position for Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, a job she landed after interviewing without her dog and which involved handling glass and 100-year-old artifacts. One of the staff was uncomfortable with Hawkins handling glass and they were able to work together to define her duties.
“It became a happy, positive thing to have (her dog) Merlot there,” she said.
She and advocate Barb Gilmore of the Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Centre said each workplace must determine what’s best for the employee and the employer when an accomplished applicant has a disability or service dog, and that can be done during the three-month probation and wouldn’t need a human-rights hearing.
A stunning example of the discrimination Tessa Hawkins says she regularly experiences while job hunting came during a pre-interview with a Victoria appliance firm, when she told the human-resources employee she has a 24/7 service dog.
“Oh, we don’t have room for pets,” came the reply. Hawkins’ protestations were answered with a “thanks for your time” before the interview was quickly ended.
The HR director apologized after Hawkins reported the incident and the company brought employees up to speed on B.C. law under the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act, which prevents discrimination of anyone with a guide dog or service dog.
The law is being updated beginning Jan. 18 to standardize certification, hike fines for violations to a maximum of $3,000 and to improve public education about the law.
Hawkins was happy with the firm’s response, but her dismissal added to her suspicions that she had lost out on a dozen jobs in 2014 because she brought to the interviews her dog that accompanies her everywhere she goes and is trained to alert others if she suffers a seizure. She left her dog at home for the next two interviews and landed both jobs.
“While I admit this may have been a coincidence, I believe that is highly unlikely,”