[nagdu] Fw: Proposed Act Regarding Service Dogs from the state of Maine.

Julie J. julielj at neb.rr.com
Mon Mar 2 20:04:16 UTC 2015 

Brian,

To me there are a number of differences between a parking plaque and service 
dog ID.

Firstly, cars are cars, except for trucks. *smile*  I mean cars don't 
misbehave, lose their training or have an emotional component to the 
relationship.   When you get a parking plaque, no one has to observe how you 
interact with and control your car.  Yes, there is a driver's license, but 
that is very, very different from handling a live animal.

Second, if all the handicapped parking places are full, the person can 
choose a different spot.  It might not be ideal, but it is an option.  If I 
had to show ID to get into a store, there is no other option.

Third entering a public place as a disabled person is a civil right. 
Parking is not a civil right.  The plaques are meant to give the individual 
parking there easier access or a safe line of travel into the store.  It is 
not a condition of access that the person use that space.  It is an 
additional offering.

Lastly, if an ID of this nature were used, who is going to do the testing? 
There are so many different disabilities that can be mitigated with the use 
of a service animal.  I don't see any easy way to clearly define what is and 
what isn't a service.  The parking plaques are fairly straightforward, you 
can or cannot walk a specific distance independent of assistance.  Service 
animals are not that cut and dried.  Who is going to pay for the 
ID/testing/administration/enforcement?   You can't charge a person for their 
civil rights.  Or at least I would hope we haven't gotten to that place in 
this country.

To me it's not so much about privacy as it is about all the other aspects of 
the situation.  People with other types of disabilities may feel differently 
though.  I'm blind and it's pretty obvious.  But what if I had a psychiatric 
condition?  Mental health has a serious lack of social acceptance in the way 
that physical disabilities have.   That would present some unique challenges 
of privacy.

Julie
Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now 
available! Get the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
Visit my new website on developing courage and living authentically:
http://www.falling-up.com
-----Original Message----- 
From: Skewis, Brian at DCA via nagdu
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2015 1:16 PM
To: The Pawpower Pack ; NAGDU Mailing List, theNational Association of Guide 
Dog Users ; Debby Phillips
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: Proposed Act Regarding Service Dogs from the state 
of Maine.

Hi all,

I want to genuinely thank you all for your posts regarding service dog 
legislation.  I have been following the legislation in Florida, Arizona, and 
Maine quite diligently and I am truly grateful to be able to see your 
responses regarding the topic.

I work for the California State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind; a 
consumer protection board that licenses and regulates guide dog schools and 
instructors in California.  I get calls and emails on a regular basis from 
people asking questions about guide dogs and service dogs in general.  These 
questions range from business owners asking access questions, to questions 
about how to register or license a service dog, to questions from members of 
the legislature regarding how to "fix" the fake service dog issue.

I understand that the ADA specifically protects a service dog user from 
having to show any documentation to gain access to a place of public 
accommodation, but a question I have yet to have answered is how this is 
different from an individual with a disability having to display a placard 
on their vehicle or license plate in order to use an accessible parking 
place.  How is displaying a license on a service dog different than 
displaying a placard on a vehicle?  Is it because the individual leaves the 
vehicle and then can assume personal privacy from that point?  I ask because 
I have seen this analogy used several times in articles, but I haven't heard 
both sides of the argument.

Regarding the legislation in Maine, Arizona, and Florida, my personal 
opinion is that because federal law is so broad, that it makes it very easy 
for people to fraudulently hold their pet dogs out as service animals with 
little to no repercussions.  There either needs to be a service dog club on 
the national or state level (meaning some way to identify legitimate service 
dog teams and exclude illegitimate teams), or the aversion of animals in 
public needs to change along with the education of businesses in their right 
to request that a poorly behaved dog leave the premises.

Thank you again for your continued education and fascinating stories 
regarding guide dogs and your lives with your "fluffy durable medical 
equipment" as I read earlier, which literally made me laugh out loud. 
Although I'm not a guide dog user, my chocolate lab gives me so much 
happiness, I identify with you all on that level.

Regards,

Brian Skewis
California State Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind
Email: brian.skewis at dca.ca.gov
www.guidedogboard.ca.gov

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of The Pawpower Pack 
via nagdu
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2015 10:19 AM
To: Debby Phillips; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide 
Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: Proposed Act Regarding Service Dogs fromthe stateof 
Maine.

Under the ADA, most stores are required to give a certain number of feet to 
aisle clearance space. If the store is not doing this, then they are IMHO, 
asking for trouble.  This is not just a service dog or blind issue, but the 
same struggle would be faced by someone with a wheelchair, or walker.
If I go into a store, and cannot get through the aisle, either with a dog or 
in a wheelchair, and something gets broken, the store is responsible to make 
sure there is enough clearance.

It is the responsibility of the store to make sure that they are ADA 
compliant.


Rox and the kitchen Bitches:
Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
Pawpower4me at gmail.com
Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 2, 2015, at 12:12 PM, Debby Phillips via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
> wrote:
>
> Whether I liked it or not, I would have to pay for such.  There are lots 
> of shops where aisles are narrow and there's stuff everywhere.  As for 
> dessert trays, they will put them where they can be seen and who better to 
> see them and want them than children? It's a matter of taking 
> responsibility for what my dog or my child, if I had one, does.    Debby
>
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