ADA service animals question

[Guest]

Serious question, but just a curiosity. I'm looking at the ADA rules here: http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

 

 

 

• 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.
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• A person with a disability cannot be asked to remove his service animal from the premises unless: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal’s presence.

   

If a business actually has the spare manpower, can they deny access to the Service Animal and, instead, provide staff to allow the disabled person "the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal's presence?"

 

I did see a (presumably) blind guy being lead around the downtown Target by an actual employee, and he didn't have a guide dog. I'm not sure if a service animal was waiting somewhere else or not.

[Purajh]

Some blind people simply choose not to have a service animal.

My father is legally blind and chooses not to have a service animal at this point in his life.

Some stores will offer assistance to these folks as a courtesy (also it helps save their other customers from having a blind man run into everyone with their cart)

[Guest Mr. Bigglesworth]

No they can't make that solicit that offer unless the exceptions listed above happen.

[Duckman]

Under the ADA you can't ask what a person's disability is.

 

How are you supposed to offer a service-human without knowing what service the human is supposed to provide.  Not to mention that not many humans can scent a low-blood-sugar event so there's no way to provide a substitute.

[Guest]

Thanks.