Laws

Knowing Your Legal Rights

In 1990, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. The summary of the law is as follows:

“The ADA guarantees a blind, deaf, or physically disabled person the legal right to be accompanied by a service animal in all areas open to the general public. Service animal means any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including but not limited to guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.” (From Assistance Dogs International, “Legal Rights of Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs and Service Dogs”; 8th edition, January 2003.)

The most recent copy of the ADA Law regarding service dogs can be found here.

For more information regarding ADA Laws and Regulations, visit http://www.ada.gov/

State laws regarding Hearing Dog accessibility in public, the home, and places of employment; owners fees and licenses and training are state specific. Please email IHDI at info@hearingdog.org or call 303.287.3277 if you would like more information on your particular state.

For more information, please check on the Disability Rights Online News at http://www.ada.gov/disabilitynews.htm.