# College won't let me enter till my Service Dog "registered" with them. Need Ans. Fast **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569 "2013-12-05T13:35:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MyMack\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MyMack\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyMack_1)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/41 "2013-12-07T03:36:05Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Well, duh, which is why service animals are allowed in, but pet Pitbull Fido isn’t, and why the college wants to know which is which. Well duh, which is why I said SERVICE ANIMAL. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/42 "2013-12-07T04:03:43Z")
> [@MyMack\_1](#): > > Never met a service dog who did any of those things. By and large service animals are very well trained and quite amazing in what they do for their handlers. That’s the point. Service dogs don’t. Pets might. So how do you ensure your dealing with the former, not the latter? ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/43 "2013-12-07T04:42:54Z")
It is quite obvious from reading the ADA rules that have been already linked to in one form or another that the school is usually allowed to inquire as to what the dog does. I know some people think the ADA gives them a magic shield that prevents anyone from challenging them at anytime, and to even suggest otherwise gives them the right to instant $$$, but this isn’t supported in law or fact. To suggest that a school isn’t allowed to inquire NOR document that this occurred is silly and not supportable other than by belief. I don’t believe the school would be allowed to charge for this. I don’t believe it is the same as someone going into a store - you are going to be around other students and teachers for a prolonged period of time. Not all animals are protected under the ADA - but some of those may actually be protected under other laws. Not all parts of the ADA apply to all places. It is totally reasonable to have a policy in place that says some part of the university/college will decide which animals are ok - and where. A therapy dog would be totally appropriate for an individual living in campus housing, but not in class. Your average security guard shouldn’t be making these decisions - nor should some guy on the internet be able to just put a “service animal” vest on whatever he wants and say - yep - gotta let me in or I am going to sue you. Geeze - I can’t believe this is even slightly being compared to stuff like a store. So what if some crazy lad brings her pet lizard into the 7-11 - she is going to be gone in 5 minutes. Students shouldn’t have to sit next to someone for an entire semester cause he likes his dog and doesn’t want to leave him home. There are dozens and dozens of colleges on the internet that have policies related to service animals - requiring some level of approval. Do people really think all of these have stupid lawyers on their staff? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/44 "2013-12-07T06:41:15Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > . > > WTF? What do I do? > > Leo Get over yourself. Your sense of entitlement is way out of proportion to the practical necessity of the university to determine you have a legitimately required service animal. Given how many people try to make this claim without substantiation just to have their pets around it’s entirely reasonable for the university to require this certification. Your back seems way up on this way entirely out of proportion to the requirement. Most people with legitimately required service animals are happy to cooperate with these requests. Do you have paperwork certifying your animal is a required service animal for your disability? ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/45 "2013-12-07T12:56:46Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Get over yourself. Your sense of entitlement is way out of proportion to the practical necessity of the university to determine you have a legitimately required service animal. Given how many people try to make this claim without substantiation just to have their pets around it’s entirely reasonable for the university to require this certification. > > Your back seems way up on this way entirely out of proportion to the requirement. Most people with legitimately required service animals are happy to cooperate with these requests. Do you have paperwork certifying your animal is a required service animal for your disability? There is no such paperwork or certifying agency. I know it SEEMS like there would be, to prevent people from passing pets off as service animals. But there ISN’T. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/46 "2013-12-07T13:55:04Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > However, they do need to if they want to receive accommodations. So maybe the question is whether a service dog counts as an accommodation? Probably. As a general thing, any exception from normal rules is something the school wants to have documented, both action and cause, to cover their asses. Otherwise, there’s nothing to stop other students from accusing the instructor of playing favorites and giving someone preferential treatment. Then too, someone with a disability requiring a service dog would usually benefit from other accommodations, and it can potentially turn into a shitstorm if they allow one accommodation without documentation but not others. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/47 "2013-12-07T15:42:58Z")
> [@MyMack\_1](#): > > Never met a service dog who did any of those things. By and large service animals are very well trained and quite amazing in what they do for their handlers. If OP doesn’t register his pet as a service animal, then the college has no way to apply this distinction. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/48 "2013-12-07T16:00:59Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > There is no such paperwork or certifying agency. > I know it SEEMS like there would be, to prevent people from passing pets off as service animals. But there ISN’T. Interestingly what you can inquire is very limited [http://www.anythingpawsable.com/service-animals/how-can-i-tell-if-a-service-dog-is-legitimate/](http://www.anythingpawsable.com/service-animals/how-can-i-tell-if-a-service-dog-is-legitimate/) > [@](#): > > How can I tell if a Service Dog is legitimate? > What’s the best way to tell if a dog is a Service Animal and not a pet? Ask! The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows for Service Animal owners to be taken at their word and you are limited to only two questions — and only if it isn’t obvious that the animal is a Service Animal. You may not demand proof that the animal has been certified, trained or licensed. > > Be aware that many disabilities are invisible, such as deafness, epilepsy, autism, multiple sclerosis (M.S.), life-threatening allergies, psychiatric disabilities and others. In some cases, you may not be able to determine if someone is disabled or the extent of their disability. > > Service Dogs come in all shapes, sizes and breeds. They may be trained by an organization, a private trainer or by the disabled individual. > ◾View the U.S. Department of Justice ADA Business Brief: Service Animals in your browser. > ◾Download the U.S. Department of Justice ADA Business Brief: Service Animals as a PDF. > > Many disabled individuals choose to provide a vest for their Service Dog and/or carry identification, however it is not required that they do. You may encounter a disabled individual who chooses to keep their disability private. Their Service Dog may not be wearing a vest and they may not be carrying any documentation on their person. Other disabled individuals choose to make their own identification materials at home. > > The law states: > § 35.136 Service animals > (f) Inquiries. A public entity shall not ask about the nature or extent of a person’s disability, but may make two inquiries to determine whether an animal qualifies as a service animal. A public entity may ask if the animal is required because of a disability and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. A public entity shall not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal. Generally, a public entity may not make these inquiries about a service animal when it is readily apparent that an animal is trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability (e.g., the dog is observed guiding an individual who is blind or has low vision, pulling a person’s wheelchair, or providing assistance with stability or balance to an individual with an observable mobility disability). > > Source: Part 35 Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services (as amended by the final rule published on September 15, 2010)
 > Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 28 U.S.C. 509, 510; 42 U.S.C. 12134.
Subpart A—General § 35.104 Definitions ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/49 "2013-12-07T16:31:17Z")
**Leo** I don’t understand why you haven’t spoken with anyone at LAGCC or the Deaf Studies program to resolve this. Have you even sent an email to your teacher informing them of what happened? In answer to the question in the OP, that’s what you should do. Email your teacher, and your program director. Given they work in the ASL-Interpreting / Deaf Studies program they may have some slight familiarity with accommodations. Tell them what happened. If you wish to pursue a legal claim one avenue is the New York City Commission on Human Rights. It costs you nothing, and they will prosecute on your behalf. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/50 "2013-12-07T19:22:15Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > **Leo** I don’t understand why you haven’t spoken with anyone at LAGCC or the Deaf Studies program to resolve this. Have you even sent an email to your teacher informing them of what happened? > > In answer to the question in the OP, that’s what you should do. Email your teacher, and your program director. Given they work in the ASL-Interpreting / Deaf Studies program they may have some slight familiarity with accommodations. Tell them what happened. > > If you wish to pursue a legal claim one avenue is the New York City Commission on Human Rights. It costs you nothing, and they will prosecute on your behalf. Unless he’s had some accident happen in the last week it does not appear the OP is congenitally deaf. > **[Perfect Pitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=708514)** > > We navy Sonarmen were prized for our pitch memory; the ability to differentiate Doppler on a target. Our "ping went out and the target echo came back. If the target was closing there was an “up” Doppler. If opening, the Doppler was “down.” No... > [@](#): > > I do not have perfect pitch, but can read, sight-un-heard (heh) music similarly. Also, consider the converse, again with trained musicians in a different situation: **when listening to music in a key or, to a lesser extent, some post-standard-practice music, and I don’t decide the correct written key or pitch heard.** I will mentally follow the/a score, or cognize a different mental “transcription,” in terms of tracking where it goes, enjoying the turns and tricks, mentally naming them–“man, Schubert, yet again you’ve blown my mind/guts/heart with that modulation to flat-VI,” joined with, perhaps, “Schubert, that’s why you’re Schubert and we all love you.” True, and it’s not just me. I read chess columns that have similar comments, which strike me as humorous sometimes. > > My not having perfect pitch, sometimes, when I’m in this mode, is that my mental toolkit (key) may not match the original physical pitches, and, say, it would’ve been better had I not thought “What a weird key area for Schubert to write in or stray into, I can’t remember any Schubert/19th century/trio with flugelhorn (whatever) going there; gotta revise my knowledge and take on Schubert.” It upsets me, intellectually, for reasons I won’t go into here, when I’m thinking about Schubert/19th century/trio with flugelhorn (whatever). I do that a lot because I have a musicological/historian’s bent; different people think about different things. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/51 "2013-12-07T20:18:34Z")
I didn’t say he was Deaf. To my knowledge he’s taking classes in American Sign Language. I don’t know this for a fact, but I am assuming it, because I’ve taken ASL classes there, and we talked about it. LAGCC is the most well known and prestigious trainer of ASL interpreters in the NYC area, and offers ASL continuing education classes at an incredibly cheap price. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/52 "2013-12-08T02:02:00Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Related, but not relevant–my son had his appendix out today, and as we were heading to the waiting area during his surgery, we saw a horse in the hallway! Except it wasn’t a horse. It was one of the biggest Great Danes I’ve ever seen, with a stunning silver-grey coat who works as a therapy dog. What a beautiful pup! (My son is fine, btw) FYI - A service animal and a therapy animal are not the same thing. Therapy animals enjoy no protections under ADA. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/53 "2013-12-08T04:32:40Z")
As a data point, the college where I work does register information about students who use assisting devices such as wheelchairs. Do you know that your school does not do this? Because if that’s your issue, it might turn out that they do. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/54 "2013-12-11T16:16:58Z")
Thanks to some. That’s what cops do: they ask for id or a license. I show it to them, when necessary. The mutt of course has a City-issued license around his neck. I like to be on as few lists as possible. Also, > [@astro](#): > > Unless he’s had some accident happen in the last week it does not appear the OP is congenitally deaf…[snip of a post by me from another forum in SD]… On the other hand, **astro** would have been spared doing roundabout research on the Internet about my health status and make an assumption in order to make a point about my opinions or thoughts, if only I were on an authorized list about that status, and he could just check. And, **astro** , I am deaf. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/55 "2013-12-11T16:33:28Z")
Final (I hope) decision on the school thing. I met with a lawyer at the NYC Dept. of Human Rights, who went to her boss, who went to _her_ boss, and the answer came back, as far as I care to understand it. There is an exception for some institutions, including CUNY, where “regular” presence (although of course I spend less time there than I do at many shops, but law’s law), where they can require a statement on file from a medical professional about the Service Animal’s particular skills, ie, “services.” It is illegal for them to require any knowledge of what the disability is. Housing is a whole different ball of wax. So know my new doctor goes on record for something he knows zero about in general (Service Dog skills, capabilities, or training) and knows only from my telling him. He did say in the letter that Buddy is friendly and well behaved, however, from direct and considered professional observation. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/56 "2013-12-11T17:06:33Z")
So all of us who told you to register were on the money then? ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/57 "2013-12-11T19:09:51Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > And, **astro** , I am deaf. I thought you said in the locked MPSIMS thread that you aren’t deaf. StG ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/58 "2013-12-11T19:59:34Z")
So you took time during finals to go see a lawyer and your Dr. instead of just registering your dog with the school. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569/59 "2013-12-11T21:12:16Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I thought you said in the locked MPSIMS thread that you aren’t deaf. > **[I am not deaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710175)** > > See subject. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-wont-let-me-enter-till-my-service-dog-registered-with-them-need-ans-fast/675569.md?page=2)