E-350.1 Animals on Campus

To prevent discrimination based on disability, the College will allow individuals with disabilities who have service animals to participate in and benefit from college services, programs, and activities. Service animals assisting individuals with disabilities are generally permitted in all College Premises and programs.

Emotional support animals do not qualify for protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are only protected under the Fair Housing Act. Therapy animals are also not protected under the ADA and must be pre-approved before being brought on College Premises.

USE OF SERVICE ANIMALS ON CAMPUS

Students

The College encourages, but does not require, Students to make themselves known to the College through the Access and Accommodations Office should they desire a service animal accompany them in academic classes, activities, or services on College Premises.

Visitors

Service animals accompanying individuals with disabilities are welcome in all campus areas that are open to the public. The Office of Campus Safety and Security can answer specific questions about using service animals on College Premises by Visitors.

Employees

Employee requests for a service animal at work should be coordinated through Human Resources.

Certain areas may be considered unsafe for the service animal and its handler or where the presence of an animal might interfere with the safety of others, such as, but not limited to, chemistry labs, industrial labs, or surgical suites. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis by consultation with the Access and Accommodations Office.

If it is determined that an area is unsafe, reasonable accommodations will be provided to assure equal access to the Student.

The responsibilities of handlers of service animals are outlined as follows:

• The service animal must always be under the control of the handler.

• The service animal must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered while in public places unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the person’s disability prevents the use of these devices. In that case, the person must use voice, signal, or other effective means to maintain control of the animal.

• The care and supervision of the service animal is the handler's responsibility.

• Regular bathing of the service animal is expected to avoid odor and shedding.

• The service animal must be toilet trained; the handler is responsible for cleaning animal waste.

• The handler must use appropriate toilet areas for the service animal.

• The handler must be able to provide proof of current rabies vaccination.

• The handler is financially responsible for any property damage, bodily injury, or personal injury caused by the service animal.

The College may ask the following two (2) questions to determine whether an animal qualifies as a service animal:

• Is the service animal required because of a disability?

• What work or tasks has the animal been trained to perform?

The College may not ask about the individual’s disability or require medical documentation to support the need for the animal. It may also not require documentation that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed or ask that the animal demonstrate its ability to perform its work and/or tasks.

The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. Examples of work or tasks include but are not limited to assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation or other tasks; alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds; pulling a wheelchair; assisting an individual during a seizure; alerting individuals to the presence of allergens; retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone; providing physical support and assistance with balancing and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities; and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors.

The crime-deterrent effects of an animal’s presence and providing emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks defined above.

The College may ask an individual with a disability to remove a service animal from the premises for the following reasons:

• The service animal is found to be disruptive in the classroom.

• The service animal shows aggression toward their handler or other members of the College Community.

• The service animal is out of control, and the animal’s handler does not take effective action to control it.

• A service animal is physically ill.

• A service animal is unreasonably dirty.

• The presence of the service animal causes danger to the safety of the handler or the College Community.

• The animal causes substantial physical damage to property.

• The animal would pose an undue financial or administrative burden for the College or would fundamentally alter the College’s ability to deliver services, programs, or activities.

• The animal is not toilet trained.

• The animal constitutes a fundamental alteration to the nature of the program or service (The College will make those determinations on a case-by-case basis).

If a service animal is excluded under one of these exceptions, the College will give the disabled individual the opportunity to obtain goods, services, and accommodations or to participate in the service, program, or activity without having the service animal on the premises.

The College will not ask or require an individual with a disability to pay a surcharge, even if people accompanied by pets must pay fees or comply with other requirements generally not applicable to people without pets. If the College normally charges individuals for damage caused by pets, an individual with a disability may be charged for damage caused by their service animal.

Anyone who believes the College did not follow the established procedure regarding animals on College Premises or discriminated against them by denying an animal on campus may file a complaint. Students or Visitors should contact the Access and Accommodations Office to file a complaint. Employees should contact Human Resources to file a complaint. Complaints can be submitted using the College’s online Student and Community Appeals and Complaints Form.

DEFINITIONS

Service Animal – The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as a dog (or miniature horse) that is individually trained to respond to an individual’s needs and to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. An animal used to provide only an emotionally supportive therapeutic service for an individual does not meet the definition of a Service Animal.

Emotional Support/Comfort Animal – Any animal used as part of a medical treatment plan to provide companionship and help with issues such as depression, anxiety, and specific phobias but does not have special training to perform tasks that assist an individual. Emotional Support/Comfort Animals are only protected under the Fair Housing Act.

Therapy Animal – Unlike a service animal, a therapy animal is trained to interact with many people other than its handler to make those people feel better. Therapy animals are also trained to behave safely around people and are often certified. Service animal laws do not give a therapy animal handler public access rights to take the animal to no-pet places. Therapy animals are only allowed via prior agreement. Therapy Animals are not protected under state or federal law.