Allergies as reason to keep service dogs out of schools
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From:
Sam Paior - view profile
Date:
Sun, Oct 30 2005 10:45 am
Email:
s...@stutley.com (Sam Paior)
Groups:
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The service dog logic that the school presents is illegal - the ADA specifically states that allergies (and being afraid of dogs) are not a disabilities and can not be used as a reason to prevent service dogs access. Besides, with certain kinds of regular dog washes, the dander issue can be 98% mitigated. A reasonable solution is that any child with a severe allergy be moved to a classroom that does not have a dog. Think of a service dog as a wheelchair - that's how the ADA views it - the dog is a piece of durable medical equipment. Ben has a service dog, but we are not yet a good enough team for her to be useful for her mobility tasks, and her search and rescue skills (I hope) should not be required at school. Ben is also way too young to handle her on his own - I am the certified handler, so LIly only goes to school woith him once a week when I bring her and help out in the class. Ben also does not have an aide, and until Ben is old enough to handle Lily, he would need an aide to handle her, potty her, etc etc, and that would require some training - service dogs need consistency in the way they are handled.