Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
£2.5k for boy not allowed on trampoline because of his prosthetic legs
Payout over discrimination case
A BOY with prosthetic legs has received £2,500 after not being allowed to use a trampoline.
Zack Gordon was seven in July 2017 when he visited We Are Vertigo in Belfast.
He was told he could not use the trampolines and was offered other activities.
Zack’s father Patrick said his son was left feeling upset and sad after he was not allowed on to the trampolines.
Mr Gordon added: “He went with the Killyleagh Summer programme to We Are Vertigo, where he watched the safety video and was given a wristband and socks for using the trampolines along with all the other kids.
“Zack was then told he couldn’t use the trampolines.
“He was upset and sad and when he got home he stayed in his room. His mother and I were angry and hurt.”
“It has been a very difficult road for Zack and the whole family and we couldn’t have managed without the support and legal help from the Equality Commission.”
The family from Co Down took a disability discrimination case against We Are Vertigo, with the assistance of the Equality Commission, which has been settled for £2,500.
Mr Gordon described his son’s prosthetic legs as being plastic/ fibre-glass with rubber feet.
He said: “We were all affected by the situation and we worried for Zack because he withdrew into himself for a while afterwards but he’s back to his old self again.
“The money he’s been awarded will be held in trust for him until he is 18 and it may be enough to help towards a wee car or something to do with his education.
“Whatever he does with it will be up to him.
“We are just glad this matter had now been brought to a close and we can all move on.
“As a family we’d like to thank the
Northern Ireland Equality Commission for everything they did to support us.”
Anne Mckernan, director of legal services at the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, said: “Service providers should anticipate that those with a disability, both adults and children, will want to access their services and they should give thought in advance to what reasonable adjustments will help to ensure that their services are available to all.” In a statement, We Are Vertigo said it offers a range of activities to customers with prosthetic limbs.
A spokeswoman added: “Operating as a responsible business in this sector, there are important safety protocols and considerations that we must adhere to.
“In this case, at our former trampoline park in Newtownbreda, guidance from the manufacturers of the trampoline equipment and restrictions from our insurance company meant we were unable to provide access to the customer.
“For safety reasons, we were advised that patrons with prosthetic limbs were not permitted to use the equipment – this is a known issue with trampolines and other high adrenaline sports and adventure activities and not isolated to our facilities.
“We are committed to ensuring our facilities can be enjoyed by people of varying levels of ability.”