Alexandria Bachert
March 03, 2017
The Supreme Court
favored a girl and her dog
Service dogs have been used by the
vision-impaired since the late 1920s, but more recently people have begun to
rely on monkeys, miniature horses, and even rats to cope with conditions
ranging from seizure disorders to PTSD to autism.
While most agree that service animals
are an effective and affordable alternative to medications for certain
conditions, the increase in certified "helpers" does not come without
controversy.
Several incidents -- such as a Supreme Court
case involving a girl with cerebral palsy and her service dog --
have people questioning what conditions should qualify for using service
animals and when.
It's been argued that animal assistance reduces incentive
for people with disabilities to be self-reliant -- to what extent is that
valid?
Jenna
Saul, MD, FAACAP: "This argument feels reminiscent of the
rather naïve judgment that medications for mental health issues are a
"crutch" rather than recognizing that they can significantly
alleviate symptoms and allow improved function. When emotional service animals
are offered in conjunction with other therapies, the role of the animals is to
decrease experiential avoidance and can help a patient set goals to achieve
optimal functioning."
Jessica
Smidt, Healing Enhancement
Therapy Coordinator at Mayo Clinic: "I don't think this is valid in most cases. True
assistance animals are trained to do services or tasks for people with
diagnosed disabilities. The tasks they perform are tasks their handler may not
ever be able to do on their own, no matter how hard they try."
Cheryl
A. Krause-Parello, PhD, RN, FAAN, University of Colorado: "The argument is inherently
flawed. It assumes that individuals with disabilities' main priority should be
to become self-reliant and that this should be 'incentivized.' In reality, the
main priority for many individuals with disabilities is to live a fulfilled
day-to-day life in as healthy a way as possible, whether that involves reliance
on medication, therapy, or other interventions to achieve this."
Jeanne Eichler, MOT, OTR/L, Saint Louis University: "Assistance animals are trained
to carry out roles that the person may not otherwise be able to perform without
assistance or cannot perform efficiently or safely. Part of being independent
is to have strategies to maintain personal safety, both with and without the assistance
animal. In some cases, without the help of the assistance animal, safely
performing a task may not be possible."
Donna A. Baker, CTRS, Emory
Rehabilitation Hospital: "Service animals allow a disabled individual to perform
activities of daily living more independently. Having an animal that is trained
to open a door, retrieve dropped items, or help someone off the floor following
a fall can mean the difference in being able to live independently or having to
rely on someone else."
Is "emotional support" a valid role for a
service animal? Should there be limits for what qualifies as a service animal,
and, if so, how should they be enforced?
Smidt:
"Emotional support animals are not legally considered service animals.
They provide comfort and companionship for individuals but they are not
designed to be out in public like service animals. Emotional support animals
are beneficial to people who need a friend, daily motivation, or are dealing
with depression or anxiety, but they are not meant to go everywhere in public
like assistance animals."
Krause-Parello: "A service animal is specifically trained to perform
tasks that aid in mitigating the disability of an individual. An emotional
support animal is not required to have any such training. However, they can
perform tasks that promote the emotional support of individuals with
disabilities. Emotional support is a fully valid role for a trained service
animal."
Saul:
"There are significant differences between emotional support animals and
service animals. Emotional support animals are not trained, but simply provide
emotional support to a person with a disability. They cannot go out in public
where dogs are normally prohibited."
Eichler: "Some people function best with a companion who they feel
safe with. Many disabilities are 'hidden' and can be incredibly challenging
because they may not be completely 'tangible.' Because of this, people using
animals for emotional support may be regarded differently from people who have
obvious disabilities. As a clinician who has recommended assistance animals for
anxiety, depression, and difficulty socializing with others, I have seen these
animals make life accessible where quality of life was once poor."
Baker:
"Mental or psychological disabilities can be every bit as 'crippling' as a
physical impairment. Having a service animal can provide an emotionally
disabled person the confidence to function in an environment that they could
not otherwise tolerate. We need guidelines for what qualifies an animal as a
true service animal in order to prevent just anyone from getting their animal
certified -- [such as] providing medical proof of need and proof of proper
training and certification."
On the flip side, what problems with discrimination
against service animals and the people using them have you seen, and how can
those problems be overcome?
Baker: "These cases are related to either fear of the animal or
someone not trusting that the animal is a 'real' service animal. Many people
are afraid of animals and that is not something that is going to change, but
knowing that an animal has very specific training and is there to help can
often alleviate some of these fears."
Eichler: "People do not understand the etiquette for being around
assistance animals. If people were openly educated about the roles of these
important animals in the lives of our family members, friends, associates, and
neighbors, stigmas and judgments would lessen. Better general awareness of how
life-changing an assistance animal can be for another person is an important
step in this direction."
Smidt: "We need to educate the public and business owners on what
they can ask and how to identify true service animals. We need to educate
doctors and counselors on when and why to prescribe an emotional support animal
and also have them understand the difference between an emotional support
animal and assistance animal so they can inform their patients."
Krause-Parello: "There is a disconnect between many public establishments
and individuals with service animals -- more often than not derived from a lack
of understanding on the part of the establishment of the rights of the
individual with the disability. Federal and state-level efforts, as well as
social media campaigns by individuals, businesses, and NGOs, should be
supported in order to perpetuate advocacy and the spread of education and
awareness about the rights of service animals."
Saul: "I have seen some schools resist having service animals
present in their buildings which is a violation of ADA law. I have also seen service dogs whose
families have not maintained their training, and as a result, the dogs cause
damage and disruption in the settings that they are permitted to be in. The
down side to this is that it increases discrimination against service dogs, and
for clinics who have traditionally welcomed service dogs and who have followed
ADA laws, this creates some significant challenges."
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/GeneralNeurology/63576?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-03-04&eun=g972365d0r&pos=0
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