About Emotional Support Animal (ESA) and Service Animal

Lyon College allows pets in specified-campus housing but permits assistance animals defined by the Fair Housing Act and ADA with a verified disability-related purpose in all campus housing. This information aims to provide the College community with an understanding of the sanctioned use of Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals for persons with disabilities.

Emotional Support (ESA)

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA), defined by The Fair Housing Act, provides therapeutic emotional support for individuals with a documented history of disability. Students who request ESAs must provide reliable documentation of their disability from a licensed healthcare provider. Documentation must verify the student has a history of a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits at least one major life activity and that the ESA is part of a treatment plan designed to alleviate symptoms.

An ESA can be an animal commonly kept in households and is not required to be trained for a disability-related task.

Please note that certificates and letters purchased from websites following brief questionnaires or limited interactions intended solely for creating such letters are not considered sufficient or reliable documentation of a disability.

Service Animal

A Service Animal defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act is a dog that has been trained to perform a specific disability-related task or job for a person with a disability. If the disability is not obvious, the ADA allows for two questions that may be asked to determine whether an animal qualifies as a Service Dog:

• Is this a service animal (dog) required for you because of a disability?

• What disability-related work or task has the animal (dog) been trained to perform?

Service Dog in Campus Housing: If a student is planning to have their Service Dog in College housing, the student should contact the Director of Academic Support & Accessibility by May 1 for fall housing and November 1 for spring housing to establish that the dog meets the intent of the provisions established under Americans with Disabilities Act. Sufficient notice is needed for Residence Life to make any appropriate arrangements regarding placement, roommates, etc., and ensure the dog meets local and state health regulations.

Please refer to the Student Handbook for detailed information regarding pets, service animals, and ESAs on campus.

ESA REQUEST PROCEDURES:

To request to have an ESA in campus housing, students should complete the form found at https://forms.lyon.edu/Forms/AnimalExpectations. For more information, contact Student Life at 870-307-77314.