Service Dogs and Safety in Academic Laboratories

Abstract

The Americans with Disabilities Act allows a student with a disability to bring a service dog into any facility where the public is allowed, including academic teaching and research laboratories. However, the presence of the service dog does have an impact on the safety of the student, the service dog, and others in the laboratory. This article explores some of the questions that must be addressed to maintain a safe environment.

Comment on “Service Dogs and Safety in Academic Laboratories”

“…The paper “Service Dogs and Safety in Academic Laboratories” opens an important discussion on safely accommodating a service dog (SD) in classroom laboratories. This is timely as the number of students with disabilities (SwDs) in postsecondary education is increasing, along with the number of people with disabilities (PwDs) assisted by service dogs, yet PwDs remain underrepresented in science. , Although the paper contains useful notes on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), differences between SDs and emotional support animals, and SD registration, it paints an overly negative picture of what to expect when accommodating a student SD handler (SSDH) in a classroom laboratory.…”

“…Examples of statements we think perpetuate the negative bias are listed below, followed by our explanation of how the situation can be easily accommodated. “No one would want a dog to pick up items from the laboratory floor or to carry them for a partner...” This statement was presented as evidence for why SDs should be replaced by a lab partner and implies that SDs will inevitably retrieve dangerous items from the laboratory floor. However, a qualified SD undergoes approximately two years of training including six to nine months of advanced command training .…”

Reply to “Comment on ‘Service Dogs and Safety in Academic Laboratories’”

“…As stated several times in the original article, a student has the right under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to bring a service dog into a laboratory, as long as the dog is properly trained and meets the criteria for service dogs. However, the instructor may not be familiar with service dogs, the tasks they perform, the ways they interact with their human partners while performing their tasks, and the needed “reasonable” accommodations for the student.…”

“…Obviously, they can and should be moved if they create a hazard. The original article suggests safe locations for the team, and even the letter’s authors agree that the dog may occasionally shift or stretch. Some undergraduate laboratories may have permissible exposure limit (PEL) monitoring for heavier-than-air vapors, but it is definitely not universal, since students are not covered by the OSHA regulations cited . PEL values for dogs may also differ from humans and may not be available. Nowhere in the original article is it either stated or implied that “it may seem unlikely to some that a dog could be in a classroom laboratory without being disruptive or dangerous.” It is certainly not my attitude or belief. …”

“…Nowhere in the original article is it either stated or implied that “it may seem unlikely to some that a dog could be in a classroom laboratory without being disruptive or dangerous.” It is certainly not my attitude or belief.…”