Service Animal: Governed by The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
A service animal is “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the Dalton State College Service Animal Policy July 2016 2 handler's disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, 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 balance 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 the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.”
Emotional Support or Comfort Animal: Governed by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Fair Housing Act
This type of animal can be trained or untrained and does work, may perform tasks, provide assistance, and/or provide therapeutic emotional support (alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability) for individuals with disabilities. An assistance animal is not a pet.
Registration: It is strongly recommended that a student register their Service Animal with Disability Access. It is not required to be registered with Disability Access, but our best practice is to make the office aware of the animal on campus. Students are responsible for all items in Dalton State’s Service Animal Policy and Guidelines, regardless of registration status.
Documentation: No formal documentation is required. However, students with Service Animals may be required to answer questions about the service performed by the animal.
Service Animal Script for classroom announcement:
There is a student in our class who has a service animal. This animal is working and we ask that you not ask the name of the animal, as the calling of the animal’s name by others is distracting to the animal. Please do not touch, pet, talk to, feed or intimidate the animal. If you have concerns, please let me know or contact Andrea Roberson in Disability Access. Your assistance with this matter is very much appreciated. Thank you.
Registration: Contact Disability Access and complete the registration process. This process includes providing documentation of a disability and functional limitations that require use of a comfort/emotional support animal. Registration steps includes appropriate notice to Residence Life (7 day minimum) before move in, Disability Access approval of documentation provided, and consultation with Residential Life regarding type and appropriateness of animal. No comfort animal may enter a housing facility until approval has been granted.
Documentation: See below.
Service Dogs are working for the individuals they are with. Distractions such as petting, food, and other noises may distract the service dog from doing its job.
Please follow these simple rules.
-Do not ask the name of the service dog.
-Never touch a service dog or the person who the animal is helping, without permission.
-Do not call the service dog or make any noises at the service dog.
-Do not ever attempt to feed a service dog.
-Do not be offended if a person with a service dog does not want to discuss their disability
or the assistance that the service dog is providing to them.