Americans with Disabilities Act.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act a service animal is defined as:
Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do
work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a
disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or
other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or
domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes
of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal
must be directly related to the handler's disability. Examples of work
or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are
blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or
sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a
wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting
individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as
medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance
with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities,
and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by
preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The crime
deterrent effects of an animal's presence and the provision of
emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not
constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition. (reference www.ada.gov)
Information on Commonly Asked Questions about Service Animals is available at the ADA website.
For information about the ADA and public access, visit the ADA Website or contact the ADA Hotline at 800 - 514 - 0301 (voice)