Franklin & Marshall College

Some individuals with disabilities utilize the services of trained animals to directly assist them with activities of daily living. The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) refers to such animals as “service animals.” Regulations from the United States Department of Justice implementing the ADA clarify that the term “service animal” refers to a dog or miniature horse that is “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability,” including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals to impending seizures or protecting individuals during one, alerting individuals who are hearing impaired to intruders, pulling a wheelchair or fetching dropped items. The crime deterrent effects of an animal’s presence and the provision of emotional support, well being, comfort or companionship, however, do not constitute work or tasks that would qualify a particular animal as a “service animal” under the ADA.

Generally speaking, individuals with disabilities shall be permitted to be accompanied by their service animals in all areas of the College where members of the public, program participants, clients, customers, patrons, or invitees, as relevant, are permitted to go. Care and supervision of service animals, however, is the responsibility of their owners, not the College. A service animal must remain under the control of its handler at all times. A service animal shall have a harness, leash, or other tether unless either the handler is unable, because of disability, to use a harness, leash, or other tether, or the use of a harness, leash, or other tether would interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of work or tasks, in which case the service animal must be otherwise under the handler’s control, for example, through voice commands, signals or other effective means. The College may request that a service animal be excluded from a particular program or activity if the service animal is out of control and the animal’s handler does not take effective action to control it, or if the animal is not housebroken. Additionally, the College reserves the right to exclude a service animal from accompanying its handler if admission of the service animal would impose a direct threat to the health and safety of others. In such a situation, the individual with a disability will still be permitted to attend and/or participate in the activity without the animal.

Students with disabilities desiring to use a service animal on campus must register with the Office of Disability Services. A student with a disability who uses a service animal and who resides in College-owned housing is required to alert the Office of Disabilities Services, in advance, of the student’s desire to house the animal in College-owned housing. Different issues, responsibilities and documentation requirements may apply in the context of housing for students with disabilities who use a service animal.