ADA guidance on service animals Published Jan. 5, 2016 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- The Americans with Disabilities Act has specific guidance on service animals. These requirements clarify and refine issues that have arisen in the past. Some of the main points are listed below. A service animal is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability, such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf and calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among other tasks. Generally, title II and III entities must permit service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas where members of the public are allowed to go. The ADA only recognizes dogs as service animals under these titles. However, some state and local laws define service animal broadly, and can be obtained from that state's attorney general's office. When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff may not ask about the person's disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task. Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. When a person who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or facility, for example, in a school classroom or at a homeless shelter, they both should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room or different rooms in the facility. For the ADA's complete guidance on service animals, visit www.ADA.gov or call (800) 514-0301.