06/17/2020
We are so grateful for all of you, our supporters, and will be updating you soon as to the reasons you haven't seen a post on here for a long time. However, today we need your support for one of our clients.
Yesterday one of our clients, Leslie, went to an appointment in a business chain she has frequented for years and naturally took her service dog. Unfortunately, the employees and even the manager are unaware of the laws regarding service dogs and refused to allow her to bring her dog inside to the appointment.
Even though she explained the law to them they insisted that she produce some kind of certification to show that the dog is a "real" service dog and eventually refused her appointment and asked her to leave.
This is the kind of issue that the Americans with Disabilities law was meant to eliminate. I know that you who visit this page are supportive and understanding of veterans with disabilities but people in general are very ignorant of what those disabilities look like and what the laws are concerning how they relate to them.
Part of our mission is to help educate the public about less visible disabilities and how to relate to service animals. We understand that too often people falsely claim that their dog is a service dog and their inappropriate behavior creates huge issues for those who have legitimate service animals. However, that is no excuse for not taking the effort to learn if the service animal is legitimate and to accommodate the client.
I am pasting a copy of the law that relates to the requirement for businesses and the questions they can ask to determine if the service animal is legitimate and ask you to share this information to help educate those who may be unaware of the law.
GENERAL RULES
Q7. What questions can a covered entity's employees ask to determine if a dog is a service animal?
A. In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability.
Q8. Do service animals have to wear a vest or patch or special harness identifying them as service animals?
A. No. The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.
CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION
Q17. Does the ADA require that service animals be certified as service animals?
A. No. Covered entities may not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal, as a condition for entry.
For more information you may go to:
The ADA Home Page provides access to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for businesses and State and local governments, technical assistance materials, ADA Standards for Accessible Design, links to Federal agencies with ADA responsibilities and information, updates on new ADA requirem...
