![]() In certain circumstances, per the Fair Housing Act, Saint Xavier University provides reasonable accommodations for a student with a disability to have an emotional support animal in University housing. While not a requirement to bring a service animal on campus, Saint Xavier University recommends students contact Disability Services prior to attending classes to ensure smooth access and rectify any potential conflicts (e.g., instructor allergies or science lab hazards) before a semester begins. However, when it is not readily apparent that a dog is a service animal, the following two inquiries are allowed: 1) Is the dog required because of a disability? 2) What work or task has the dog been trained to perform? ![]() Saint Xavier staff and faculty may not ask about the nature or extent of the person's disability nor request documentation (such as proof that the animal has been trained or licensed). In order for an individual to qualify for having a service animal on campus: 1) the student must have a qualifying disability as defined by the ADA and 2) the accompanying animal must be trained to do tasks or work for the qualifying student. Service animals are allowed to accompany a person with a disability in all places that students and members of the public are permitted to go, except where animals are specifically prohibited due to a safety or health hazard. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA."* The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person's disability. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The ADA, as amended, defines a service animal as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Pets are not considered assistance animals. Assistance AnimalsĪssistance animal is a broad term to include animals classified as service animals by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and emotional support animals as defined by the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Saint Xavier University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to its policies, practices or procedures as required by law to afford people with disabilities an equal opportunity to access programs, services and activities.
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