Emotional Support and Service Animals

A service animal is any dog or miniature horse trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability. Under law, only dogs or in some instances, miniature horses, are recognized as service animals. If a student brings an animal other than these to a classroom or studio space, you may have the animal removed—it is not a service animal.

Legally, students are not required to receive permission from the college in order to bring a service animal onto RISD property. Therefore, a service animal’s presence on campus may not be known until classes begin. If a student plans to bring a service animal to campus, they should notify DSS prior to the start of classes.

Students with service animals may be asked whether they need the animal due to a disability, as well as what work or task(s) it has been trained to perform. We will then inform course instructors, department heads and Public Safety about the animal’s presence in the classroom/studio space. We will also collaborate with faculty and staff, as necessary, to any conflicts that arise.

A “support animal” (sometimes called an emotional assistance or emotional support animal) is a dog or other domestic animal that is prescribed or otherwise documented by a healthcare or mental health professional as treatment for a disabled individual and that is beneficial in alleviating one or more identifiable symptoms or effects of that individual’s disability.

Students requesting housing accommodations, including an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) should register with Disability Support Services and submit documentation.

For Emotional Support Animal (ESA) requests, documentation must describe in detail:

• how one or more of life’s major functions are significantly, amply or substantially limited in the residential environment,
• how no other means of intervention are available, necessitating the ESA as essential to your ability to have equal access to your housing environment, and
• the name and type of ESA.

One support animal is permitted in each shared residence hall space. A shared space is considered to be any residential unit that has more than one student residing in it. This includes multi-bedroom apartments. Should multiple owners seek to have animals in a shared space, priority will be given on a case by case basis by Disability Support Services. Residence Life will coordinate with the subsequent approvals on alternative housing arrangements.

Non-allowable Animals (regardless of ESA status):

• Animals restricted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or deemed harmful to large communities.
• Venomous reptiles.
• Carnivorous fish (with the exception of Betta fish).
• No swine, including “teacup pigs,” shall be kept within the limits of the city of Providence.
• Hoofed animals (horse, sheep, goats, cattle) with the exception of approved Service Animals.
• Chickens (due to city ordinances regarding space required for chickens).

Please review the RISD Emotional Support Animals ("ESA") Policy for more information. 

To determine if an animal in your classroom is a service animal, if it’s not already apparent, you may ask if the animal is required because of a disability, as well as what tasks it has been trained to perform. You may not ask specific questions about the student’s disability.

If you are concerned about health and safety in your classroom due to a service animal, please contact our office for guidance. RISD may prohibit the use of service animals in certain locations due to health and safety concerns. These include, but are not limited to:

• food preparation areas
• woodshops
• classrooms that contain animals
• areas requiring protective clothing
• other areas as required by state or local laws

Exceptions to these restrictions may be requested and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

You may not ask for a person with a disability to remove their service animal from the premises unless it:

• behaves in a disruptive manner (e.g., barking, growling, running around, soliciting social attention in ways uncharacteristic of service animals).
• is not house-trained or clean.
• poses a direct threat to the health or safety of other persons, and this threat cannot be eliminated via modification of policies, practice or procedures, or by the provision of auxiliary aids or services.
   

If you need to request the service dog be removed from class based on any of the above reasons, refer the student to our office for further guidance. If you need support, contact us directly.

Please note that, if a student in your class tells you they are allergic to or afraid of dogs, these are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using service animals. It may be possible to accommodate students who voice these concerns by asking them to use a location in the classroom far away from the service animal, or to enroll the student in a different section of the course. If this issues arises in your classroom we will work with you to address the situation and devise creative solutions or alternatives.