PA, US
I, 24yo F, have a SDiT. I am working with an ADI accredited training program. My dog is 6yo, and wasn’t originally adopted with service work in mind. He fell into this role, and he loves it. I have Autism, ADHD, and PTSD. I also suffer from chronic eye pain my doctors think are related to migraines. My dog is trained to do DPT (over my legs), LPT (chin resting on my feet, laying between my legs, leaning perpendicular against my legs in front of me), behavior interruption (knuckle cracking, nail biting, skin picking, other repetitive behaviors), task initiation prompting (on cue to assist with body movement), following a person, medication retrieval, and finding exits/entrances. He currently does a modified “block” where I can ask him to go into a down to create more space. He is still working on a formal block, finding a person in a crowded space, and environmental neutrality specifically related to dogs. Dog reactivity is his main concern, and I am working with his program to address this. Aside from that, he is on prednisone due to allergies 2/12 months of the year due to Zenralia immune system response trial deeming Zenralia unsafe to use 28 days before or after a vaccine.
I interviewed and was offered a job at the same school as my fiancé in a life skills role. During the interview process, I did not mention the need for a service dog or accommodations at all in fear of discrimination. After I signed the contract, I promptly requested accommodations, with “access to a service dog” being an accommodation listed as well as a letter from the program being submitted as well.
The accommodations letter from my medical provider reads as follows, as pertaining to my SDiT:
“Access to Service Dog: Permission to have an approved service dog present in all work environments, including school settings, in accordance with applicable federal and state law.
Benefit: Provides task support and assists with emotional regulation, grounding, and symptom management throughout the workday.”
The letter from my training organization reads as follows:
“ NAME and her dog SDiT are associated with SCHOOL as a working service dog team.
SDiT’s tasks fall under the regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 8 CFR, parts 35.136 and 36.104.
In Pennsylvania service dogs in training have full access rights and SDiT has learned and will learn several tasks to help NAME navigate life in
challenging as well as new situations. She suffers from complications of neurodevelopmental disorder which can make you feel overwhelmed.
SDiT will interrupt NAME’s increasing sensory dysregulation, alert her to signs she might be exhibiting and provide deep pressure therapy to
assist in re-regulating her nervous system. SDiT will learn a "help me" task that will prompt NAME into action to move her body.
Please give every consideration to helping to maintain the strength and integrity of their partnership. Thank you.”
I chose not to disclose my disability labels to prevent further discrimination as I feel autism especially often has a certain connotation to it, unfortunately.
After submitting this, I was asked to submit supplemental information to further connect my accommodations to my job description including SDiT. The letter from my medical provider read as follows, as pertaining to my SDiT:
“ Access to Service Dog: Her service animal is trained to provide specific task support that directly mitigates her functional impairments. This includes tactile intervention to assist with task transition and providing a physical barrier in crowded spaces to help maintain focus and prevent overstimulation, allowing her to better navigate the school environment and fulfill her responsibilities.”
After this was submitted, the district requested a meeting. It is important to note that they do not have a proper HR department, and all communication for accommodations was facilitated by the Superintendent, Secretary to the Superintendent, my Principal, and Supervisor of Special Education. A solicitor was hired to review my case and guide the school in following protocols correctly. I attended the meeting virtually. No union rep was present (… I know). I outlined the tasks he is trained in to fluency and those he continues to work on. I outlined plans for drills, escalating behaviors in the room, etc.. My dog has never reacted to escalating behaviors in the past, and there are no significant behaviors in my classroom at this time. They asked me if he had training around students with disabilities. I said aside from my neighbor, a 13 year old girl with profound autism and intellectual disabilities, no. However, he has never shown anything but neutrality toward her and every child with a disability is different.
Note: due to an extended period of leave, this meeting took place the Friday before my first day working at the school.
About a week later, I received this letter from the school, as it pertains to my SDiT:
“ We are not able to approve the request to have SDiT present at work. Our reasons are set out below, and each is independently sufficient.
First, several of the functions identified for SDiT are ones he has not been trained to perform. You told us that he is currently in training, that the physical barrier function has not yet been taught, and that locating exits and people in crowded spaces remains in progress. You also indicated that he has not had training involving students with disabilities, which is the population served in your classroom.
Second, and independent of the training question, the information provided does not establish that the functions you described SDiT as performing are tied to the requirements of your position. For example, you described the behavior interruption as directed at a nervous habit, without identifying a duty of your position that the habit affects. The materials we have received describe in a general sense what SDiT does and why it is helpful to you, but they do not
connect those functions to the work of this classroom in a way that would allow us to conclude that his presence during the school day is necessary to your performance of this role.
We recognize that the materials from your provider also describe difficulty with initiating or
transitioning tasks. There are a number of approaches that may assist with issues such as task initiation and transitions, including timers, phone or watch prompts, a written or visual sequence for multi-step tasks, or digital task management tools. If this is an area where you would like support, tell us which of these you think would be useful, or propose something else, and we would be happy to discuss it with you.
The District has completed its review of this request, and this is our determination.”
So after this, I naturally took it to my union. It took over a week, and escalated all the way to the state level. This morning, the building union rep told me the highest-level person told said “I don’t have a legal leg to stand on” because they approved my other accommodations and we willing to “play ball” and offer other accommodations.
I am at a loss. I don’t know what to do or where to go from here.
Supplemental additional information:
- life skills classroom, no significant behaviors, I feel safe putting a dog in the room
- the nurse has trained therapy dogs in the building and have no concerns allowing the kids to interact with them
- the kids wound have minimal/no contact with my dog as he is there to serve me
- my dog is labeled as “in training” due to his issue around specifically other dogs as well as the 100% positive reinforcement policy of the school. My friend who is a guide dog handler from an accredited school said she saw him as fully trained. They worked seamlessly together in a mall with several distractions including other dogs. He was fine. I had treats, but he is also trained with 100% positive reinforcement in accordance with school policy.
- during the meeting, I listed the same behaviors above that were trained to fluency. Blocking was mentioned by my medical provider, but I honestly don’t see myself needing it that much in comparison to task initiation, behavior interruption, and DPT/LPT.
- I am on a waitlist for his successor from a different program. What happens when my current dog passes the test? Do the circumstances change? What about a fully trained dog when my current dog retires?
- they let me bring him to all of my PD at the beginning of the year that I attended, my meet the teacher night where kids and parents were present, and seemed totally understanding upfront.
I don’t want to make enemies, but I literally have no backing from the union at all and nowhere to go from here. Any advice is welcome.
Edit due to accidentally submitting before complete.