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Documentation Requirements for a Service, Therapy, or Companion Animal Present on Campus
.I. The student must register with the Student Disability Services (SDS) office and provide the appropriate documentation for the disability. (See Documentation Requirements, www.sdes.sds.ucf.edu)
II. Once these requirements for documentation have been met, SDS will review the request. Consultation with appropriate offices will follow. Example: a student’s request for accommodation in a program under Housing and Residence Life will likely be considered by that department as well as the department responsible for cleaning the residence unit. III. The student’s request for accommodation will be approved or declined with notification to the student. An approved accommodation regarding an animal is confidential, like any other accommodation. Since it is an exception to the university rule generally prohibiting non-research animals on campus, a letter of documentation will be issued to students whose accommodations requests are approved. The letter will not disclose confidential information. It will document that the student is authorized to have the individual animal described within the letter on campus for the specified university program. If a different animal is utilized at a later date, the student is required to document the animal’s training and ability as per I.a-b above. IV. An animal used for accommodation is not required by the university to wear particular identification devices. The UCF Police Department is responsible for enforcing the rule prohibiting non-research animals from campus and may, in this role, request confirmation from the student regarding the letter of documentation. V. Approval of accommodation is granted in concert with appropriate health and safety considerations for the university as a whole. Procedures for Approval of a Service, Therapy, or Companion Animal Present on Campus The University of Central Florida (UCF) maintains a No Pets Policy on campus, including its on-campus residence halls. Specific exceptions for service animals are provided for under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Florida law [Fla. Stats. 413.08]. Accommodations involving therapy or companion animals may be granted by the university as appropriate. The ADA and UCF policy allow service animals to accompany persons with disabilities in most locations on the UCF campus. Exceptions include but are not limited to selected research laboratories and areas where there is danger to the service animal. A department receiving a request to approve the presence of an animal as an accommodation will solicit recommendations from qualified professionals in pertinent fields as needed. Those professionals may have backgrounds in such areas as disability accommodations, housing, animal care and control, or counseling. They may be from Student Disability Services (SDS), Housing and Residence Life staff, Health Services, Counseling Services, or other campus and community resources. Students with disabilities using service, therapy, or companion animals as an accommodation are responsible for their animals at all times. Use of the animal may not constitute a direct threat to the health and safety of others. The handler/partner is responsible for the health of the animal, including the sanitary disposal of animal waste; any property damage caused by the animal; the behavior of the animal in private and/or public places; and for due care and diligence in the use of the animal on campus. The University reserves the right to enforce all relevant rules for the use of service, therapy, and companion animals through student conduct codes and applicable laws and policies. Students with animals on campus without appropriate approval will be liable for the consequences. The University will not entertain retroactive requests for service, therapy, and companion animals, as endorsed by the ADA. Definitions and Examples Service Animals are not pets and are not subject to campus rules and policies pertaining to pets. Their presence in most areas on campus is permitted by statute. The university may review the activities of any animal present on campus to ensure that it meets the statutory definitions. Service animals are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Such animals might guide individuals with impaired vision, alert individuals who are hearing impaired to intruders or sounds, pull a wheelchair, or fetch items used in daily living (Ref. ADA Title III, 28 CFR Sec 36.104). Therapy animals normally visit people with disabilities as a therapy tool or an integral part of a treatment process. They do not assist individuals with a disability to perform the activities of daily living. Therapy animals are not covered by laws protecting and giving rights to service animals. Approval of the presence of a therapy animal falls within the authority of the university regarding accommodations to a disability. Therapy animals are defined as animals with a good temperament and reliable, predictable behavior. When the use of a therapy animal on campus is sought, the standard procedures to request an accommodation are followed. The student with a disability submits appropriate documentation that the therapy animal mitigates or lessens the effects of the disability. The university approves or denies the request. Therapy animals used as an accommodation normally will be permitted within on-campus housing areas for their periodic visits. Companion animals are documented by a qualified professional as necessary for the student with a disability to participate in one or more university programs. Approval of the presence of a companion animal falls within the authority of the university regarding accommodations to a disability. When the use of a therapy animal on campus is sought, the standard procedures to request an accommodation are followed. The individual with a disability submits appropriate documentation that the therapy animal mitigates or lessens the effects of the disability. The university approves or denies the request. Trainee animals are under instruction to become a service animal. A trainee will be under control of the handler, who may not be the assigned handler when the animal completes its training. Until the animal is a service animal, its statutory protections are limited. When the use of a trainee service animal on campus is sought, the standard procedures to request an accommodation are followed. The individual with a disability, or the trainer, submits appropriate documentation that the trainee service animal mitigates or lessens the effects of a disability. The university approves or denies the request. Consideration of the request will be based on whether the trainee is housebroken and fully socialized. To be fully socialized means the animal will rarely make disruptive noises and will have a good temperament. If approved for presence on campus, the handler will be expected to immediately correct any misbehavior by the animal or remove it from campus. Pets are animals kept for pleasure or companionship, exclusive of accommodation documentation from a qualified provider. Pets are not permitted on campus or in university facilities. Handlers/partners are individuals using a service [including trainee], therapy, or companion animal. “Using” may describe a student with a disability benefitting from the animal whose presence was approved by the university, or a person training a service animal.Requests for use of animals as accommodations for a disability General State and federal laws do not specifically authorize individuals to be accompanied by therapy and companion animals in places of public accommodation that have “No Pets” policies. Therefore, approval of requests for therapy and companion animals on campus and in campus residences falls within the authority of the university regarding accommodations to a disability. Students requesting such accommodation must follow SDS documentation requirements. The student with a disability will submit appropriate documentation from a professional diagnostician/therapist that the therapy or companion animal mitigates or lessens the effects of the disability. The university will consider this information in concert with applicable statutes, rules, and/or policies. SDS will deny requests that do not document that the animal is necessary to prevent a violation of statutes, rules, and/or polices, and the university will enforce its “No Pets” policy. For additional information,
please contact: Telephone (407) 823-2371 |
Send mail to tnallams@mail.ucf.edu
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