If you’ve ever wondered about the difference in types of service animals, our guide should help you figure things out. By law, a service animal is defined as a dog, and only dogs are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in terms of reasonable accommodations. They are trained to perform everyday tasks or alert the owner, known as a handler, to dangers or medical emergencies.
Hearing dogs for the D/deaf
Hearing dogs for the D/deaf help alert their handlers to danger signals like fire alarms or traffic. They may also help their owner navigate streets, workplace situations, and things like text message alerts. A hearing dog will also alert the handler to alarm clocks, the doorbell, or even the photocopier alert. Hearing dogs can also provide much-needed companionship for people who may otherwise be isolated and alone.
Guide dogs for the blind
Guide dogs do similar things to hearing dogs, but they respond to visual stimuli instead. Some of the things a guide will help someone with visual difficulties with include:
- Alerting them to blocked pathways, traffic, or overhead dangers
- Assisting the navigation of public transport and the high street
- Alerting them to passersby, footsteps, or potential human hazards
Wheelchair user support
People who use a wheelchair sometimes rely on a service dog to fetch and carry things for them or to assist them in daily activities such as answering the door. They can also open and close doors and turn switches on and off.
Psychiatric support
Some service animals provide support for psychiatric conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Psychiatric service dogs are different from emotional support animals because they have a specific task or set of functions that they’re trained to perform. Psychiatric service animals are covered under ADA’s reasonable accommodations guidelines. They perform tasks such as alerting their handlers to anxiety attacks.
Emotional support animals
Whereas they provide a much-needed service to many people who need them, emotional support animals are not considered service animals under ADA’s guidelines. They may perform tasks relating to support and soothing anxiety or distress but must be carefully distinguished from psychiatric service animals.
Seizure alert dogs
Some employees may rely on a service dog to alert them to oncoming seizures or other medical issues. These dogs can be lifesavers and are fully covered under ADA’s reasonable accommodations guidelines.
Miniature horses
Whereas ADA’s definitions stipulate that service animals are dogs and dogs only, there are some legal addendums for miniature horses. Employers may now need to accommodate miniature horses where reasonable to do so. However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has laid out four assessment factors to determine whether your company can accommodate a miniature horse or not.
- Your facility must be able to cope with their size and weight
- The horse must be housebroken
- The horse must be under the handler’s control
- The horse’s presence must not compromise your facility’s safety requirements.
Although there are many types of service animals, not all of them are covered as reasonable accommodations under the ADA and would come under your company’s discretion as to whether they’re allowed in the workplace or not. Your employees may refer to other animals as service animals, such as miniature horses or even ducks, but the only legal definition of a service animal is a dog.
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