Service and Support Animals
Service Animals
Service animals are defined as dogs (and in some cases, miniature horses) that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA (www.ADA.gov).
Service animals in training are considered to be dogs or miniature horses that are being trained to perform a specific task or function for an individual with a disability.
While your animal is on campus, you have the following responsibilities:
- Maintain all required vaccinations.
- Maintain control of the animal by leash, harness, or tether, unless it interferes with the service performed by the animal.
- Ensure the animal is well cared for at all times.
- Properly contain and dispose of all animal waste in appropriate outside trash containers.
Failure to follow these guidelines may result in the requirement of the removal of the animal from campus buildings and residence halls.
Emotional Support Animals
An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is a companion animal providing comfort to someone with a mental or emotional disability such as anxiety or depression, with their presence offering therapeutic benefits, unlike task-trained service animals. Federal law (Fair Housing Act) generally permits ESAs in university housing as opposed to classrooms or other campus buildings, unlike service animals; students need to register with ACCESS and provide appropriate documentation from a licensed healthcare professional detailing the disability and the need for the animal for housing approval.
- Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Form - This form will allow your physician to answer all necessary questions regarding your accommodation request for an ESA. If you have additional questions regarding ESA's visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. For further questions regarding this form, please arrange to speak to an ACCESS staff member.
- Unique Emotional Support Animal Form - An ESA that is considered "unique" is an animal that falls outside the commonly recognized types of pets traditionally thought of as suitable for ESAs (i.e. cats, dogs, etc.). If your animal has been deemed to provide therapeutic emotional support by a licensed physician, additional questions regarding this particular ESA are necessary to make a final determination about reasonable placement in university housing as a continuation of the interactive process.
- Animal Guidelines for Housing - This guideline document outlines all necessary considerations as it applies to whether an ESA may be reasonably accommodated in University Housing. University staff will consider the factors outlined in these guidelines to ensure decisions are consistent, lawful and responsive to the needs of residents.
