NavigationWelcome to DAISweb.com! You don't need to be signed in to the site to explore. Feel free to browse. Create an account to add to the Employment Exchange. User login |
Service Dogs and Allergies(The following posts were culled from the DSSHE-L archives. Some editing has been done to consolidate space and exclude extraneous remarks, but no changes have been made the to content shown. Not all posts on a given subject are necessarily included here. Information about the date(s) of appearance and subject headings are provided for those who wish to return to the full archives to research this issue in more detail.) Received a call from a department today.We have a student who uses a guide dog in a class with another student who is severely allergic to dogs. The allergic student had to use an inhaler in class last night--apparently had a bad reaction to the dog. The class is fairly small--25 students, only one section offered, taught at night. Have any of you dealt with a similar situation? I suggested that the instructor talk with the two students involved and that she might want to offer a directed individual study to one of them. Any other suggestions? Thanks for your help. Robin Leach, Ph.D. Robin, This is a tough situation. I think your idea of offering one student the independent study is good. I would approach it with the student with allergies first, as the room is already "contaminated" by dog dander. If the dog person is the one who does independent study, you'll probably have to wash down the room and everything in it to accommodate the person with the allergy (and this is not fool proof.) I know of a similar type of situation, where there is guidance on what to do. When a person with a service animal and a person with extreme allergies find it difficult to co-exist (as in a housing or job situation), the one who was housed or employed first has first person rights. This means if it is difficult to impossible to accommodate the second person, or if bringing in the second person causes serious health problems in the first, who cannot be accommodated, it is the first comer who can choose to remain in the housing unit or job and the other goes. A couple examples. Assume a section of an apartment house has shared air (the air handling system treats all units as one and all air is shared). Assume also that it is not possible to isolate one unit's air from the other units. If a person with a service dog was housed there first, the person with the extreme allergy would be affected by dog dander in the shared air, could not be accommodated and would be the party that has to move. Now assume same situation, but person with severe allergies lives there first. This is a trickier situation, because allergies are not readily apparent. If the person with allergies has already been accommodated (maybe being allowed to have their own laundry equipment in the unit instead of using a common laundry), then you know the person is seriously affected. If you didn't know, you would ask for appropriate documentation (and documentation that shows true allergy, in case a person is using this as an excuse for not allowing a dog for whatever reason). Assuming the documentation was provided and shows the disability, then the person with the dog would have to move. You already have documentation of both disabilities. Because you implied asthma (you said inhaler, did you not), and since severe asthma can be a life threatening situation, my first inclination would be to get the student with allergies out of the class and work on alternatives. In addition to independent study (or as the method used therein), the lectures could be taped and the student provided with a note-taker so the student could participate from afar. Or, the student could be in a safe (for the student) environment and hooked up by phone or video to the class (distance learning). Marcia We have had this situation twice. Our student who uses the dog, a trained assistance dog, decided not to make an issue of the situation and left the dog in his room for that class. I offered to work out an alternative solution but this was what he was most comfortable with. I did speak with the professor about making sure if he dropped a pencil or needed assistance the dog would provide that he would do it without making a big to do about it. Both students recognized the impact made on the other and felt very badly about the situation. I know this situation is different from yours, but my point is that no matter what you do someone may feel put out or guilty. We tried to work it out between the two students and let them take the lead. We just tried to be as supportive and "correct". If I had forced the issue to allow the dog in class the owner would have felt very bad about the situation, that is just his personality. I try not to trample my students feelings in trying to advocate their rights. Robin: 1. Does the student who is blind have the ability to use a cane? Just a few thoughts off the top of my head. Kip Opperman I think there are some possible solutions that are not so drastic on this--but agree that having the students meet with the prof. is a good first start. For example, the student with the allergy may have had an atypical response due to other "airborne" problems. If so, I have had success with a mask-- sold in health product stores that significantly reduces exposure to airborn(e) allergens. Then, both students can stay in the class--albeit at opposite sides of the classroom. An air purifier in the classroom might also solve the problem. If it is a multisection class, either student might be able to switch. I have seen persons with guide dogs remove the dog from a room where they bother a person with allergies and have the dog wait outside the door. I have no idea how common this is and am sure it is highly dependant on the dog and person. But, I suggest there are many intermediate possible solutions. I have been following the comments regarding the guide dogs & allergies. I have heard mixed reviews about air purifiers. Does anyone know of research or brands that are considered to be effective? Thanks. (In response to Susan’s question:) One thing I would suggest is having the air handling system cleaned. This is one of the most overlooked maintenance items. Once a system has been cleaned, it is often possible to add a HEPA filter to the system, at least for a room or two on the system. Marcia ******************************************************** (This thread was culled from the archives by Catalina Colacci, Yukon College, ccolaci@YukonCollege.YK.CA) ********************************************************** |
Welcome to the NEW Home of DAIS!Disability Access Information and Support (DAIS) is an important resource to the higher education community, providing a menu of services for those concerned with disability and access in higher education. Institutions and organizations can contract for help from DAIS, in the person of Jane Jarrow, Ph.D., for a variety of services. The growing list of DAIS publications and activities includes resource materials to assist in interpreting/fulfilling legal mandates, a variety of professional development opportunities, policy/procedure reviews, consultation regarding quality assurance and compliance, and information to aid in understanding the philosophical underpinnings of providing quality service to people with disabilities in the postsecondary environment. Check out the site orientation given on the home page under the heading of, "Where to look, and what you'll find at daisweb.com!" |