If the need for the Service Animal arises after the student is already placed in housing, then the student should provide the required request form and disability documentation to Accessibility Services. To do so, the resident student must submit a completed Housing Accommodation Request Form and Accessibility Documentation Provider Form along with the application for housing by the deadline established prior to Room Lottery. Service AnimalsĪ resident student seeking to keep a Service Animal in housing must make a formal request to Accessibility Services. The “Owner” is the resident student who has been permitted to keep an Approved Animal in housing under this policy. Individuals are not permitted to keep or bring pets (other than fish in a 10 gallon tank) on college property or in housing.Īn “Approved Animal” is a Service or an Assistance Animal that has been permitted in Wheaton College housing as a reasonable accommodation under this policy. A pet is not considered a Service or an Assistance Animal. Animals whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as Service Animals.Ī “pet” is an animal kept for ordinary use and companionship. The work or task a Service Animal has been trained to provide must be directly related to the functional limitations of the person’s disability. Service Animals are working animals, not pets. Examples of work or tasks provided by a Service Animal include, among others, guiding a person with impaired vision, alerting a person with a hearing impairment, pulling a wheelchair, and alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure. Other animals do not qualify as Service Animals. In some cases, a miniature horse may be permitted as a Service Animal. Some, but not all, Assistance Animals receive training.Ī “Service Animal” is any dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Examples include, among others, guiding a person with impaired vision, alerting a person with a hearing impairment, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, and/or calming a person suffering from disabling anxiety or depression. “Assistance Animals” are animals that perform tasks and/or provide service, assistance, or emotional support which alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of an individual’s disability. The approval of a request is animal-specific and is not transferable to another animal.
The animal must not be in residence prior to approval by Accessibility Services. A request for a Service or Assistance Animal should be submitted along with the application for housing.
Students seeking to have a Service or Assistance Animal in housing must submit a request for review each academic year. In making this determination, Accessibility Services will consider the needs of the student, as well as the impact of the animal on the campus community.
Accessibility Services will determine, on a case-by-case basis, and in collaboration with other offices on campus, whether to approve the student’s request for a Service or Assistance Animal. Students who seek to bring a Service or Assistance Animal to campus must first contact Accessibility Services. Students with disabilities who require the use of Service or Assistance Animals as a reasonable accommodation may be permitted to bring such animals on campus provided that they comply with the College’s policies regarding such animals. Wheaton College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. Housing Accommodations Procedures and GuidelinesĪnimals, including pets, are not permitted in Wheaton College buildings or residences with the exception of approved Service or Assistance Animals for individuals with disabilities.