[NAGDU] service dog or ESA?
Julie Johnson
julielj at neb.rr.com
Mon Jan 29 12:35:06 UTC 2018
You bring up a good point. There are a lot of terms being thrown around.
It is confusing. There is: service dog, guide dog, helper dog, assistance
dog, support dog, comfort dog, ESA, therapy dog, signal dog, medical alert
dog, Leader dog, Seeing Eye dog, and on and on and on. No wonder the
public is confused!
I'd really like to see all the programs and organizations use the same terms
when putting out press releases or educational materials. A single clear
explanation would help business understand things. The repeat exposure and
use of the same terms would reinforce the point, instead of causing
confusion.
The ADA uses service dog to mean any dog individually trained to assist a
person with disability related needs. Service dog seems to be the currently
most widely used term and it makes the most sense to use it when doing
education, advocacy or press releases. I have noticed that NFB and NAGDU do
this already. Among ourselves, friends and family there's no problem with
saying guide dog, Seeing Eye dog, Leader dog or whatever. If the programs
helped their graduates understand this I think it would be accepted. It
will, of course, take time to explain and reassure people that nothing has
changed with their particular dog, but that it's needed to convey a clear
and uniform message to the public. I think we could all agree that the
public is confused and better information could only help our cause.
Julie
On The Go with Guide-and-Service-Dogs.com
http://www.guide-and-service-dogs.com
also find my products in the Blind Mice Mega Mall
<https://www.blindmicemegamall.com/bmm/shop/Directory_Departments?storeid=1916046>
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Weiner via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2018 3:47 AM
To: Ginger Kutsch via NAGDU
Cc: Dan Weiner
Subject: [NAGDU] service dog or ESA?
well one interesting distinction here, or confusion is the phrase
service and emotional support animals. Am I incorrect that...service
animals are covered by the ADA and Air Carrier Act whereastheaccess for
emotional support animals is dependent on the policies of the particular
airline or institution? I mean a so-called comfort animal or emotional
support animal is not considered a service dog under the ADA or am I wrong?
I think people are confusing, I don't mean on the list but the general
public. I'm not making any suggestion but I'm wondering if their policy
is totally legal for ESA's but is inf act violating the law for service
dogs.
I mean how many times already Iahave I had to explain to an annoying
clerk, manager or cab driver that my dog is a service dog and not a pet
or comfort animal, I've had people say "well comfort animals..." when
trying to refuse me access, so I do wonder about this.
Dan the man with Parker the nut
On 1/28/2018 8:10 PM, Ginger Kutsch via NAGDU wrote:
> Growls are growing over Delta's new rules for flying with service animals
> BY HARRIET BASKAS NBC News
> https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/amp/growls-are-growing-over-delta-s-new-rules-flying-service-n841376
>
> Travelers and advocates are baring their teeth at Delta's new rule that
> passengers with service animals must submit paperwork two full days before
> flying.
>
> While some fliers are cheering Delta Air Lines’ new, stricter rules for
> those traveling with service or emotional support animals, many long-time
> guide
> dog users and organizations that advocate for travelers with disabilities
> say the guidelines, which require added documentation and pre-planning,
> are over-reaching,
> discriminatory and illegal.
>
> Citing a significant increase in the numbers and types of “comfort”
> animals passengers bring on planes — and an 84 percent increase in
> reported animal incidents such as urinating/defecating, biting and
> attacks — Delta announced last week that certification of a flyer’s need
> for an animal and proof of an animal’s training and vaccinations will be
> required for both service and emotional support animals.
>
> However, organizations such as The National Federation of the Blind
> believe elements of Delta’s policy, which goes into effect March 1,
> violate the Department of Transportation’s
> Air Carrier Access Act.
>
> “We are particularly troubled by the requirement that guide dog users
> submit paperwork to Delta 48 hours before flying,” the NFB said
> in a statement, noting that “Travelers without guide dogs are not required
> to plan their travel 48 hours in advance.”
>
> The 48-hour ‘intent-to-fly’ requirement means guide dog users "will no
> longer be able to fly on Delta for family, medical or other emergencies,”
> said the NFB.
>
> “PEOPLE WITH PROPERLY TRAINED SERVICE ANIMALS ARE BEING PUNISHED.”
>
> “We stand with NFB,” said Eric Lipp, Executive Director of the Open Doors
> Organization. “People with properly trained service animals are being
> punished
> by Delta.”
>
> Noting that it has “long been concerned with the abuse and fraud of
> animals purporting to be service or support animals,” the
> American Council of the Blind also said Delta’s revised policy
> discriminates against passengers with legitimate service dogs and makes
> travel more difficult for individuals who rely
> on their service animals for travel.
>
> “I sympathize with the airlines,” said Pat Pound, a disability consultant
> who is blind and travels with a guide dog. “More people are cheating.
> Airlines are trying to maintain the system. But I don’t think Delta’s new
> policies will address the problem. And, as a person with a disability, I’ll
> end up being
> penalized.”
>
> An on-line petition
> with more than 75,000 signatures is asking Delta not to make it harder
> for people to travel with emotional support animals — but other airlines
> are already
> exploring following Delta’s lead.
>
> “We agree with Delta’s efforts,” American Airlines said in a statement.
> “We are looking at additional requirements to help protect our team
> members and
> our customers who have a real need for a trained service or support
> animal.” The carrier said from 2016 to 2017 it saw an almost 15 percent
> increase in
> the number of customers traveling with emotional support animals.
>
> United Airlines is reviewing its existing policy on service and emotional
> support animals, said airline spokesman Charles Hobart. “This is something
> that
> is important to our employees and to our customers, including those with
> disabilities and those who do not have disabilities,” he said. “We
> understand
> this needs to be resolved soon.”
>
> The Department of Transportation had planned to draft new rules on service
> animals by July 2017, but those guidelines have yet to be released.
>
> Going forward, “I suspect there will be legal challenges to Delta’s policy
> on service dogs from individuals and from organizations,” said disability
> consultant
> Pound. “This is how an airline is deciding to interpret the law, but a
> court may have a different idea about what that the law intended.”
> article end
>
>
>
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