[Coagdu] Fw: [NAGDU] Changes to the definition of Service Animal under the ACAA

[Melissa R Green]

-----Original Message----- 
From: Jenine Stanley via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2016 6:05 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Jenine Stanley
Subject: [NAGDU] Changes to the definition of Service Animal under the 
ACAA

Thank you for posting these minutes.

I serve on the ACCESS Committee along with Mr. Diggs. I am representing 
GDF and other guide and service dog schools.

I would be happy to give anyone information about what is being proposed 
and why.

Let me start by explaining the current ACAA definition of service animal. 
This definition includes animals that simply provide assistance through 
their presence with no disability training requirements. these are called 
Emotional Support Animals (ESAs). Technically all animals under the ACAA 
must have some level of ability to behave in public but the reality is 
that it’s hard to police and to avoid people like the woman with the 
chicken, described on this list, who was very forceful about her *rights*, 
airline staff tend to ignore things.

Under the current ACAA definition of service animal , there are 3 sets of 
animals that can fly, free of charge, as accommodations to someone’s 
disability. Traditional service animals, guide, hearing, mobility and 
other types of animals trained specifically to mitigate an aspect of a 
disability, as well as having public access/exposure training, are allowed 
to accompany passengers with no requirement of documentation or prior 
notice.

People who work with Psychiatric Service Animals, (PSAs) animals with 
specific disability mitigation training to address mental health related 
disabilities and with public access/exposure training,  must provide a 
letter including a diagnosis from the DSM4/5, on the stationary of a 
qualified mental health professional no less than 48 hours prior to 
flight. There are more specifics about this letter in the ACAA.

ESA owners must also provide such a letter with the same information, 
stating that the animal is necessary.

Unfortunately, people trying to avoid the pet fees or just not 
understanding the rules, and yes, not wanting to disclose their mental 
health-related disabilities to their existing health care providers, can 
go on line and find any number of doctors or organizations that will write 
the requisite letters on their behalf. There are also people who will buy 
vests and ID cards on line to avoid any of this and just call their animal 
a “service animal” meaning that it has some disability mitigation other 
than for a mental health related disability.

The system is broken. This negotiated regulation process was convened to 
try to fix it, or at least come up with some new definition that wouldn’t 
break it even further. In another post I will detail what is being 
proposed and why.


_______________________________________________
NAGDU mailing list
NAGDU at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
NAGDU:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/graduate56%40juno.com