Champlain College recognizes that Service Animals and Assistance Animals can play an important role in facilitating the independence of some individuals with certain types of disabilities.
Students are not allowed to have pets in classrooms, residence halls, in College vehicles (including shuttle buses), or at College-sponsored events, unless the animal is a Service Animal. Service Animals and Assistance Animals that meet the required criteria will be exempt from these pet provisions.
A Service Animal is defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as any dog (or in some cases, a miniature horse) that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The work or task must be directly related to the person’s disability. The provision of emotional support, wellbeing, comfort, or companionship does not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition (see “Assistance Animals” definition below).
Service Animals in training who are with a member of the College community who has a disability, and with whom the animal will be working as a Service Animal, are provided the same rights as Service Animals under this policy. Students with Service Animals are permitted generally to bring their Service Animals in all areas of a place of public accommodation, such as classrooms, residence halls (including the private residence assigned to the student), activities and events, and dining facilities.
However, Service Animals are not permitted if they pose a direct threat to health or safety, if their presence constitutes a fundamental alteration to the nature of a program or service, if they cannot effectively be controlled, or if they are not housebroken. Students planning to bring a Service Animal to campus are encouraged to work closely with the Office of Accessibility. Office staff may ask the student if the animal is required because of a disability, and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform, but will not ask about the nature of the student’s condition for this purpose. Documentation about the training of the Service Animal is not required. Students are encouraged to provide identification that the animal is a Service Animal so others can be aware it is a working animal.
An Assistance Animal provides emotional support, comfort, companionship or therapeutic benefits. A person qualifies for a reasonable accommodation involving an Assistance Animal under the Fair Housing Act if:
Assistance Animals are allowed generally within the residence halls, but not in other College buildings or College vehicles. The College will not, however, permit Assistance Animals in residence halls if they pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others; would cause substantial physical damage to the property of others; would pose an undue financial and administrative burden; or would fundamentally alter the nature of the College’s operations.
The health and safety of all students, faculty, staff, and Service or Assistance Animals is an important concern. College community members who have questions about the presence of Service Animals or Assistance Animals on campus should direct those questions to the Office of Accessibility.
Contact the Office of AccessibilityIf you are planning to bring an Assistance Animal (such as an Emotional Support Animal) to campus, you must obtain approval from the Office of Accessibility by submitting a request by the appropriate deadline.
To begin the process of requesting an Emotional Support Animal, the student’s provider (a certified treatment professional) must complete and return the Emotional Support Animal Request Form.
Students must complete all relevant forms and provide necessary documentation by the following deadlines:
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Note on submitting documentation: All records/documentation submitted to the Office of Accessibility are stored in a secure online platform. If you are planning to submit hard copies of your documentation, we strongly encourage you to create a digital copy to submit to ensure your documentation is safely delivered. We accept digital versions of documentation via email and fax.
Requirements of Service Animals, Assistance Animals and their owners include:
The Counseling Center offers a variety of services and resources in Skiff Hall. Schedule an appointment or contact our 24/7 on-call counselor.
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