Service and Assistance Animals

Service animals are animals trained to assist individuals with disabilities in the activities of independent living.  Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal means any dog or miniature horse 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.  No other species of animal may serve as a service animal. Service animals are not pets. Service animals are not assistance animals: emotional support, therapy, or comfort animal. 

Federal law does not require the individual to provide documentation that the animal has been certified, trained or licensed as a service animal. In making a decision whether to permit accompaniment of a service animal, the University shall not ask about the nature or extent of a person’s disability.  University officials may, however, ask these two questions: 

"Is this animal required because of a disability?" 
"What work or task the animal has been trained to perform?" 

While students and visitors are not required to notify university officials in order to have service animals on campus, SDS welcomes questions or conversation as needed about the best ways to provide access to students with service animals. Students living on campus with a service animal are required to notify SDS prior to move in.

An assistance animal, also known as a companion, therapy, comfort or emotional support animal (ESA)is an animal that provides emotional support which alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. ESAs are not service animals, which are defined in and protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. An assistance animal is prescribed to an individual with a disability by a healthcare or mental health professional. An assistance animals is typically considered in conjunction with access to university housing.

For more information regarding compliance, roles, and responsibilities visit the Student Assistance Animal Policy.

Requesting an Assistance Animal

Assistance animals are approved through the Housing Accommodation Process in Student Disability Services. 

Service animals are generally permitted to accompany their handler/owner on all St. Edward's properties where members of the public, participants in services, programs or activities, or invitees are allowed to go. This includes classrooms, dining halls, residence halls, etc. 
Assistance animals are typically only allowed in the student’s assigned housing unit and common use areas in and adjacent to the student’s assigned room, if they have gone through the Housing Accommodation Process.  

If there is a reason to question whether an animal accompanying a student to classrooms or offices is a service animal, faculty/staff may ask two questions: 

• Is the dog a service animal required because of disability?  
• What work or task as the dog been trained to perform?  

Staff cannot ask about a person's disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task. 

• Do not feed or pet service animals when you see them on campus
• Do not try to separate handler from service animal 
• Do not harass or startle a service animal

• If a service animal is found to be disruptive in the classroom
• If a service animals shows aggression towards their handler or other members of campus or the community
• If a service animal is physically ill

Call the University Police Department at 512-448-8444.

The final determination regarding how to manage the situation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Please contact SDS for further information if a situation of this nature occurs.

No.  These terms are used to describe animals that provide comfort just by being with a person.  Because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.  Purchasing a certificate, vest or tag from an outside entity does not qualify your animal as a service animal or an approved assistance animal at St. Edward's University.