[nagdu] California Department of Consumer Affairs Offers Webcast, Panel About ADA Service Animals

[Ginger Kutsch]

California Department of Consumer Affairs Offers Webcast, Panel
About ADA Service Animals
 
Written by  Dan Oney     
February 22, 2011  
The State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind will host a
conference Wednesday, February 23, in Sacramento to discuss
impending changes to the legal definition of service animals in
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 
 
The new rules, which become law on March 15, will affect users of
service animals, as well as the hospitality industry, retailers
and other businesses that accommodate the public. 
 
"We've had a number of inquiries on this issue," said Eric Holm,
President of the Board. "We know there's some confusion in the
business community and among service dog users about the new
rules, so we've invited representatives from the U. S. Department
of Justice and the advocacy group Disability Rights California to
discuss the changes and answer questions."
 
Key portions of the law to be discussed include the following:
 

.Only dogs are recognized as service animals, and only dogs that
have been trained to perform specific tasks that mitigate the
effect of a disability can be a service animal;
.Dogs whose sole function is to provide emotional support are
excluded from the definition of service animal;
.There are no limits on breeds of dogs;
.Businesses are generally required to accommodate trained
miniature horses as service animals.
State service animal access laws will also be explained.
 
The seminar is set to begin at 9 AM at the Department of Consumer
Affairs Headquarters in Sacramento. For those wishing to
participate but are out of town, the seminar will also be webcast
at the DCA's website.
 
The webcast is scheduled to begin at 8:45AM pst and can be found
at:
http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/multimedia/webcast_current.sht
ml
Approximately 15 minutes prior to the event, the audio and/or
video Webcast links will be added, providing a direct audio/video
feed.