[blindkid] NPR: Service Dogs Teach Educators about Disabilities

Mon May 16 12:27:28 UTC 2011

If these pups work as well with kids as has been 
reported, then they really are a godsend.  I've 
also seen on TV dogs who can sniff cancer and 
dogs who can get their human safely to a sofa 
before a seizure comes on.  They truly are amazing animals.

I am trying to get my two cats to be so responsive :-).

Carol

Carol Castellano
Director of Programs
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.nopbc.org

At 08:55 AM 5/15/2011, you wrote:
>Service Dogs Teach Educators About Disabilities 
>by LARRY ABRAMSON Listen to the Story Weekend 
>Edition Saturday [5 min 44 sec] Add to Playlist 
>Download Transcript text size A A A May 14, 2011 
>Many disabled people say that life without their 
>service animals is unthinkable. And while public 
>institutions are required to admit service 
>animals without question, some public schools 
>claim they cannot handle the disruption of a dog 
>in a busy classroom. Disabled students are 
>hoping new federal guidelines will help them 
>avoid legal battles over their animals. Enlarge 
>Larry Abramson/NPR Nathan Selove relies on his 
>service dog, Sylvia, to help him deal with 
>meltdowns and other issues related to Asperger's 
>syndrome. Nathan And Sylvia Everyone at Sherando 
>High School in Virginia knows Nathan Selove: 
>He's the kid with the dog. "Actually," he says, 
>"she's the only dog in the Frederick County 
>public school system, so far." Sylvia is a 
>sweet-tempered yellow Lab who accompanies Nathan 
>to school every day. She wears a green vest that 
>proclaims: "Don't pet me, I'm working." Nathan 
>used to be a target of bullying, but is less so 
>now, he says. He strolls down the hallways, 
>leash in hand, looking relaxed, sunglasses 
>propped above his forehead. You would hardly 
>know he has Asperger's syndrome, or that he 
>sometimes has terrifying meltdowns in class. 
>That's why Sylvia is here. "And when I feel the 
>need to pet her," he says, "I just sort of lean 
>down and pet her. And sometimes, like when I get 
>really stressed out — which  doesn't actually 
>happen that often anymore — she'll gett on my 
>lap." In history class, Nathan sits down, and 
>Sylvia grabs a spot under his desk and chills. 
>In a room full of high school sophomores, she is 
>the calmest mammal there. History teacher Doreen 
>Pauley says Sylvia is just part of the class 
>now. "If he needs her, she's there; if he 
>doesn't, she's just quiet. She's a good dog." 
>The blind don't usually get a guide dog until 
>they are adults, so the service animals that 
>schools see are focused on other conditions, 
>like autism — a growing number of autistic 
>cchildren are paired with service animals. The 
>Frederick County school system was initially 
>hesitant when Nathan's parents decided that he 
>would benefit from having a service dog in 
>middle school. But now, Sylvia even rides the 
>bus to school with Nathan. A Dispute In 
>California Not every parent has gotten the same 
>reception. Attorney Kathleen Mehfoud represents 
>a number of Virginia school districts and says 
>many schools worry they may violate the rights 
>of other students by admitting a service dog. 
>"For example, there are a number of students and 
>staff who may be allergic to dogs," she says. 
>Disability rights groups say allergies and other 
>issues can easily be dealt with. They pushed the 
>U.S. Justice Department to issue new rules this 
>spring clarifying that the Americans with 
>Disabilities Act does apply to schools. His 
>behaviors are really more calm at home, or when 
>we're out with [his service dog] Eddy. I don't 
>know what's going on at school that's really 
>increasing these aggressive behaviors. - Milka 
>Ciriacks, whose son Caleb is severely autistic 
>But some districts still question why dogs are 
>necessary, especially for students who already 
>get intensive special ed services. In Orange 
>County, Calif., Milka Ciriacks has been fighting 
>to have Eddy the service dog accompany her 
>6-year-old son, Caleb, to school. Caleb is 
>severely autistic and used to run away all the 
>time. "It didn't really make sense to me until 
>we had the episode where Caleb took off," she 
>says. "And that was like the big red flag that 
>like, we need something else." For the past 
>year, the Cypress School District has refused to 
>allow Eddy into the school, so Ciriacks has 
>turned to federal court. The district would not 
>talk on tape, but in court filings, officials 
>argue that Caleb is making good progress without 
>a dog. The district worries that being tied to 
>an animal will reduce his independence. But 
>Ciriacks says that without Eddy, her son is 
>having outbursts in school. "His behaviors are 
>really more calm at home, or when we're out with 
>Eddy," she says. "I don't know what's going on 
>at school that's really increasing these 
>aggressive behaviors." New Rules Offer Hope The 
>new federal regulations are meant to stop these 
>cases from going to court. The rules tell 
>schools they must admit legitimate service dogs. 
>But they also say that schools do not have to 
>allow the wide variety of "therapy animals," who 
>are not trained, and primarily provide 
>companionship and comfort. Schools attorney 
>Mehfoud says it's about time. "We have dealt 
>with requests for service snakes and service 
>monkeys in the past," she says. The new rules 
>make it clear that trained dogs are pretty much 
>the only animals who qualify. Home at last after 
>working all day, Sylvia sheds her service vest 
>and becomes a house pet for a little while. She 
>gets to run around on the Selove family's 
>11-acre property. The family home is a bit of 
>service dog heaven. Ramon Selove, Nathan's 
>father, also has Asperger's syndrome and takes 
>his dog, Cori, to his job as a college 
>professor. But he has this caution: Service dogs 
>are a lot of work. Training can cost tens of 
>thousands of dollars and involves weeks of 
>classroom work that can be challenging for kids 
>like Nathan. But Selove says his son was so 
>motivated by the chance to have this dog that 
>"he was willing to do things he wouldn't have 
>been willing to do otherwise." Sylvia may well 
>be Nathan's best friend. Many other disabled 
>schoolchildren now also have the U.S. Justice 
>Department as their buddy. 
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