Assistance Animals

Any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform a tasks(s) for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The work or tasks performed must be directly related to the individual’s disability.

Examples of such work or tasks include, but are not limited to, guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting an individual who is having a seizure, reminding an individual with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or sensing an on-coming anxiety attack and taking a specific action to help avoid the attack or lessen its impact.

Service Animals are covered by the ADA.

An animal that an individual with a disability utilizes solely for emotional support, well-being, or comfort. Emotional Support Animals do not qualify as "Service Animals" because these animals are not individually trained to perform work or tasks. 

ESAs are covered by the FHA. Under FHA, there must be an identifiable relationship between the student's disability and the assistance or support the ESA provides in a residential setting. 

Permission to have an ESA on campus allows students with disabilities an equal opportunity to engage in residential life and be successful on the Fairmont State University campus. 

When submitting a request for an ESA, please note that:

• Non-domesticated and Exotic Animals:
  • Dogs and cats are the most frequently requested ESAs. Requests for other types of animals, particularly non-domesticated and exotic animals, will warrant a more in-depth assessment of the safety and well-being of our residential communities. Non-domesticated and exotic animals include reptiles (other than turtles), ferrets, barnyard animals, monkeys, kangaroos, and other animals that are not considered common household animals.
  • As part of the review, the burden of proof rests on the requester to provide clear and compelling documentation about why a typical household animal cannot provide the emotional support needed and why the specific animal requested does not meet the student's emotional support needs. Documentation must also clearly stipulate how the exotic/unique animal being requested is appropriate to be in a university residence hall within a community that is different from off-campus living.
• Multiple Animal Requests:
  • Only one animal will be approved as an ESA except in extenuating circumstances in which the need for more than one animal is clearly crucial for a student due to disability.
  • Multiple ESAs are rarely approved as a reasonable accommodation for one student.
  • If requesting multiple ESAs, a student must provide strong supporting documentation that clearly describes how each animal provides a distinct therapeutic emotional support that alleviates a symptom of the disability that a single animal cannot provide.
  • Multiple ESAs are not considered reasonable when the primary reason is for the mutual benefit of each ESA (such as because two animals will be happier together or because both animals need social interaction with each other for their emotional well-being).

A Service Animal must be allowed to accompany the handler to any place in the building or facility where members of the public, program participants, customers, or clients are allowed.

An Emotional Support Animal is not covered by federal laws and cannot go in public places. An ESA must stay in your private living space.

While we cannot legally require a student to make a request to take a Service Animal to class, Fairmont State University does recommend that you request a Service Animal accommodation for class. You do not have to provide documentation of your disability for a Service Animal, but making such a request does provide the opportunity to have the Service Animal accommodation formally provided to your faculty via an Accommodation Letter.

Yes, you need to notify the Office of Accessibility Services so that proper arrangements can be made. This may include a change to your room assignment if a roommate has animal allergies. 

If you want to bring an Emotional Support Animal into campus Housing, you must register with the OAS and go through the established accommodation process. Only approved ESAs are allowed to be brought into the Residence Hall.

If you want to bring a Service Animal into campus Housing, you must register with the OAS. While documentation may be submitted, no documentation is required for students seeking to bring a service animal to campus. You will need to provide proof of current rabies vaccine, flea medicine, and a picture of the animal for safety purposes.

We ask that you do not bring an animal in training, unless it is for training purposes. An animal that is not fully trained could cause distraction and disturbance during class.