Overview

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LaFayette Public Library allows service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the library where patrons are normally allowed to go.  Service animals are not required to wear special vests or have documentation, but they must be:    

1. Leashed (unless the human partner's disability prevents them from using a leash) 

2. At all times under the control of their human partner

3. Housebroken

Library staff may ask that the animal be removed only if the animal does not meet the above criteria.  Allergies or fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access.

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Definition

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the New York State Attorney General,  a service animal is defined as any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.  

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Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs or other animals whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA or under this policy.

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Determination

To determine if an animal is a service animal, Library staff may ask two questions:

1. Is this animal required because of a disability?  (Staff will not inquire into the nature of the disability.)

2. What work or task(s) has the animal been trained to perform?

 

Approved by LaFayette Library Board of Trustees:     12/18/2024