Service Animals

Indiana State University recognizes the value and need of service animals to assist some students with disabilities. Students are encouraged to seek assistance from the Accessibility Resources Office for any question involving use of a service animal on campus.

The implementing regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) define service animals as:

"any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”
28 CFR Part 35, Subpart B, §35.136

In July 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a series of Questions and Answers about service animals. The Department of Justice indicated that the task performed by the service animal must be directly related to the person’s disability and the animal must be trained to take a specific action when needed to assist the person with a disability. Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals are not considered service animals under the ADA because these animals are not trained to perform a specific task. For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA.

Students bringing service animals to campus are encouraged to register with the Accessibility Resources Office (ARO).

Individuals with disabilities will be permitted to be accompanied by the service animal in the public areas of campus or any place where students are permitted to study, attend class or other programming, or within the residential life facilities and dining halls. Students requesting to have a service animal live with them in campus housing should contact Residential Life for more information.

However, service animals on the Indiana State campus must be controlled by the individual with a leash, harness, or tether or be otherwise under the individual’s control through voice, signal, or other effective controls. Indiana State University reserves the right to remove a service animal if the service animal is out of the control of the handler or the service animal is not housebroken.

Emotional support, therapeutic, or comfort animals may be allowed to reside with students living in an Indiana State University Residential Life facility. For more information, please see the Companion Animal Policy. 

Indiana State University reserves the right to ask that the animal undergo additional training or be removed if it does not fit this description or if it has become disruptive. For example, a properly trained service animal will remain at its owner's feet. It does not run freely around, bark or growl repeatedly at other persons or animals, bite or jump on people, or urinate or defecate inside buildings. An animal that engages in such disruptive behavior shows that it has not been successfully trained to function as a service animal in public settings. The good health of the animal is the responsibility of the owner. If the animal is in ill health (bowel/bladder control problems, fleas, etc.), the owner may be asked to remove it from the University.