[nagdu] Does seeing-eye horse go too far?

[craig.borne at dot.gov]

FYI - notice NAGDU was included with this article as a link resource.

Craig

 

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa0903
24_wz_serviceanimalsfolo.67c58be1.html

3/20: 

Does seeing-eye horse go too far? 

LINK: 

ABC News story on this topic 

LINK: 

Rules for service animals 

LINK: 

Service animals Q&A 

LINK: 

Guide Horse Foundation 

LINK: 

Pony Talez Equine Services 

LINK: 

National Association of Guide Dog Users 

MORE: 

Stories about animals and pets 

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FORT WORTH - What's a horse doing in the dairy aisle at Target? 

 

Last week we reported on an expanding list of service animals for the
disabled, including ferrets, monkeys and horses. The story has ignited a
controversy

among some in the disabled community who say using a horse to get around
in a grocery store goes too far. 

 

Trixie the seeing-eye pony knows Target like the back of her slip-proof
pink boots. "She means the world to me," said Tabitha Darling, Trixie's
owner. "Not

just a working animal, but - well - my friend." 

 

Darling is legally blind, with a bone condition that she says can make
walking painful. 

 

The Americans with Disabilities Act makes it illegal for stores to
refuse entry to a service animal. But while Tabitha says Trixie is
critical to her independence,

she is now drawing fire from some, accused of abusing the system. 

 

"She doesn't need to be riding it around like Lady Godiva in a store,"
said Carolyn Finefrock, who has far less vision than Darling and uses a
more traditional

seeing-eye dog and a wheelchair for mobility. Finefrock thinks licensing
service animal users would eliminate abuse. 

 

"What about people who really can't walk? What about people who really
can't see?" she asked. 

 

Lex Frieden, a professor at the University of Texas Health Science
Center in Houston, helped develop the Americans with Disabilities Act.
What does he think

of going shopping with a horse? 

 

"There are other solutions besides that one that are more functional and
more appropriate for her," Frieden said. "But consider this: It's her
choice."

 

 

Frieden has been using a wheelchair since he was injured in a car
accident when he was a college student. He favors a case-by-case review
of a person's

disability. Any blanket solution, he says, is a step in the wrong
direction. 

 

"We actually stop innovation; we stop discovery; and we actually provide
a cap on what's possible," he said. "Who knows what's possible in the
future?"

 

 

Tabitha Darling says she is often asked why she insists on riding a
horse inside a store when there are other options. Her answer? 

 

It's what works best for her. 

 

E-mail 

dschechter at wfaa.com

 

Craig Borne, Esq.

External Compliance Program Manager

Disability Program Manager

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

Office of Civil Rights

1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast  

Suite W43-321 

Washington, DC 20590

 

Office : (202) 493-0627

Fax: (202) 493-2990 

Email: craig.borne at dot.gov <mailto:craig.borne at dot.gov> 

 

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