[NAGDU] Very Interesting Excerpt from SC Statutes

[Newton, Cherie]

It should be everywhere-including federal!

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Mike Hingson via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 4:45 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: mike at michaelhingson.com
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Very Interesting Excerpt from SC Statutes

Marion,

Amazing! I wonder who helped get that on the books.


Best Regards,


Michael Hingson

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU On Behalf Of Marion Gwizdala, via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 1:36 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Marion Gwizdala, <blind411 at verizon.net>
Subject: [NAGDU] Very Interesting Excerpt from SC Statutes

Dear NAGDU Listers,

 

                I am doing some research on South Carolina's law and came across something I have never seen before and found quite interesting. Here is an excerpt from South Carolina law entitled a "Prologue".

 

South Carolina

EDITOR'S NOTE

2019 Act No. 44, preamble, provides as follows:

"Whereas, service animals that are properly trained to assist persons with disabilities play a vital role in establishing independence for such persons; and

"Whereas, the term "service animal" has a distinct meaning in the law. A service animal means an animal that is trained for the purposes of assisting or accommodating the sensory, mental, or physical disability of a disabled person. Under the law, the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship does not constitute the work or tasks of a service animal; and

"Whereas, no vest, other marking, or documentation is required for an animal to qualify as a service animal, nor are such vests, markings, or documentation a reliable indication of whether an animal is, by law, a service animal. People sometimes erroneously think that a therapy animal, an emotional support animal, or any animal wearing a vest or having any other type of marking is a service animal as defined by law; and

"Whereas, there is an increasing number of occurrences in which people exploit the confusion related to service animals and attempt to bring an animal into a place that it would otherwise not be allowed to enter by passing off the pet, therapy animal, or emotional support animal as a service animal, either by oral misrepresentation, placement of a vest or other marking on the animal, or presentation of a "certificate", despite knowing that it is not a service animal; and

"Whereas, some companies mislead individuals into believing that they will be entitled to the rights or privileges for individuals with disabilities with service animals if they buy the company's vests or obtain some type of certificate. These misrepresentations, in some cases, are unlawful deceptive trade practices and compound the confusion around service animals; and

"Whereas, commendably, federal and state laws require places of public accommodation, including airports, restaurants, theaters, stores, hospitals, and more, to allow any animal that is presented as a service animal into the place of public accommodation. These same places of public accommodation face a dilemma if someone enters the premises and intentionally misrepresents his animal as a service animal; and

"Whereas, when people try to falsely represent a nonservice animal as a service animal, business owners and other places of public accommodation become increasingly distrustful that the animals being represented to them as service animals are, in fact, service animals. Misrepresentation of service animals delegitimizes the program and makes it harder for persons with disabilities to gain unquestioned acceptance of their legitimate, properly trained, and essential service animals. Now, therefore, 

 

And it goes on to the state laws concerning access to service animals.

 

Fraternally yours,

Marion

 

 

 

Marion Gwizdala

(813) 626-2789

Blind411 at verizon.net

 

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