The Disability Equity Office provides guidance about the university’s obligations under various federal and state laws covering assistance animals, including the ADA, the Fair Housing Act, and Michigan Public Act 75 (2022). Learn more about assistance animals and some of the most frequently asked questions below.
Types of Assistance Animals
An assistance animal is an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability. An assistance animal is not a pet. Assistance animals include service animals, emotional support animals, therapy animals, search and rescue animals, and comfort or crisis support animals. Understanding the various categories of assistance animals is important to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to university services and programs.
Service Animals
Service animals are the only category of assistance animals covered under the ADA. The ADA defines service animals as dogs or miniature horses that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. The tasks performed by the service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. Some examples of these tasks include:
Wayfinding guidance for people who are blind or have low vision.
Alerting people who are deaf to signals and sounds.
Retrieving items for a wheelchair user.
Alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure.
Reminding a person with a chronic illness or mental health condition to take prescribed medications.
Providing blocking and room-scouting tasks for a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Alerting someone with a severe food allergy to the presence of an allergen in their food.
Detecting low blood sugar for someone with diabetes.
For more information about interacting with service animals & handler requirements visit the Service Animal Handlers page.
Service Animals in Training
In 2022, Michigan passed Public Act 75, which requires service animals in training to be admitted into places of public accommodation in Michigan if they are accompanied by an animal trainer, handler, or raiser for training or socializing the animal. This means that service animals in training are allowed in any public spaces a service animal is allowed under the ADA, utilizing the same guidelines as service animals. Service animals in training are also required to be housebroken and under the care and control of their handler, who may or may not be the individual with a disability.
Service animals and service animals in training are working animals and are generally considered by their handlers to be similar to assistive or medical devices; they are not pets. Service animals and service animals in training do not need to be identified by any symbols or words on a vest or harness, though many handlers choose to do so. There is no state or national registry for service animals or service animals in training, and handlers should not be asked to provide any identification or membership card for their animal.
Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)
ESAs, sometimes called companion animals, are assistance animals that do not perform active work or specific tasks related to a disability. ESAs provide other passive therapeutic benefits to individuals with disabilities. Unlike service animals, ESAs can include species other than dogs or miniature horses. ESAs are not trained to perform a specific job or task. Instead, it is the ESAs presence alone that provides disability-related benefits.
Therapy Animals
Therapy animals are pets that provide comfort, companionship, and emotional support to people other than their owners, in settings such as hospitals, schools, or nursing homes. Therapy animals typically visit these locations as part of a structured program to enhance well-being, reduce stress, or aid in healing.
Crisis Response Animals
Crisis response animals are specially trained to provide comfort, emotional support, and a calming presence during or after emergencies, disasters, or traumatic events. They work with crisis teams, first responders, or relief organizations to help support individuals and communities in high-stress situations.
Comparison of Assistance Animals
Service Animal
Purpose
Performs specific tasks to assist an individual with a disability
Provides comfort and companionship to groups of people
Training
Basic obedience and temperament training recommended, but not task-specific
Access Rights
No public access rights under the ADA; access is approved by individual facilities
Examples
Visits hospitals, nursing homes, or schools to support healing or reduce stress
Crisis Response Animal
Purpose
Provides comfort and emotional grounding during/after a crisis to a group of people
Training
Specially trained to work in high-stress, emergency, or disaster settings
Access Rights
No public access rights under the ADA; presence coordinated with response teams or organizations
Examples
Assists survivors after natural disasters, mass emergencies, or community crises
Service Animals in the Workplace
While service animals and service animals in training are allowed in public places, employees seeking to bring their service animals into their workspaces, are required to request reasonable accommodation for their service animal.
Request a Service Animal Accommodation
The Disability Equity Office will assist with the accommodation process and provide alternate solutions if necessary. Submit a request via the ADA Initial Contact Form.
What questions can I ask to determine if an animal in my classroom is a service animal?
If the need for the service animal is not apparent, personnel may only ask:
Is this dog (or mini horse) a service animal required because of a disability?
What work or task has the dog (or mini horse) been trained to perform (Only if necessary following the first inquiry).
For example, if you observe a service dog leading a person using a white cane, or pulling a wheelchair, there is no need to ask if the dog is a service animal.
For additional information about service animals visit our Assistance Animal page.
Do I need to request an accommodation to bring my service animal to my office or workspace?
Yes. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals are allowed to accompany their handler in some areas of University property, such as the grounds and public access areas. However, if you want to bring your service animal with you to limited access areas, such as most offices or workspaces, you are required to request an accommodation to bring the service animal or service animal in training into the workplace.
How do you address concerns if another employee has an allergy to or a fear of dogs?
Allergies or a fear of dogs are not grounds to deny an accommodation for a service animal or a service animal in training. If another individual needs their own accommodation due to a medical condition or disability, we recommend they contact their supervisor or HR representative, or the Disability Equity Office to discuss what accommodations may be available. Employees with a fear of dogs should work directly with their unit to identify potential solutions to address their concerns.
