SERVICE AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS

The College is committed to compliance with state and federal laws regarding individuals with disabilities. The College welcomes individuals with trained service animals in public locations and will provide reasonable housing or work accommodations for qualifying individuals needing assistance or service animals.

Requests for service animals should be directed as follows:
For students and visitors:
Western Wyoming Community College
Wellbeing and Accessibility – Disability Office
Room 2012, Disability Support Services Specialist
307-382-1806; 307-382-1821 (TDD)

For employees:
Human Resources
Room 3035
307-382-1610

Requests for service or assistance animals in the College’s residence halls should be directed as follows:
Housing & Student Life 
Room 1100 
307-382-1677 

Wellbeing and Accessibility 
Room 2012
307-382-1806; 307-382-1821 (TDD)

Approved: January 14, 2016
Revised: March 18, 2019

Procedure 5460C

SERVICE AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS

Service Animals
Individuals with disabilities may be accompanied by their service animals at all College locations. By law, a service animal means a dog or a miniature horse 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. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. Examples of such tasks include, but are not limited to: assisting an individual with low vision with navigation; alerting individuals who are hard of hearing to the presence of people or objects; pulling a person’s wheelchair; or providing assistance with stability or balance to an individual with a disability.

Individuals with disabilities shall be permitted to be accompanied by their service animals in all College facilities where members of the public, participants in services, programs or activities, or invitees, are allowed to go.

Exceptions
The College may exclude a service animal from a College facility and/or from campus if its behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others or when its presence fundamentally alters the nature of a program or activity. Furthermore, the College may ask an individual with a disability to remove a service animal from a College facility and/or from campus if the animal is out of control and the individual does not take immediate and effective action to control it; or if the animal is not housebroken.

Responsibilities of Individuals with Service Animals
The College is not responsible for the care or supervision of a service animal. Individuals with disabilities are responsible for the control of their service animals at all times and must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including vaccination, licensure, animal health and leash laws. A service animal shall be restrained with a harness, leash, or other tether, unless an individual’s disability precludes the use of a restraint or if the restraint would interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of work or tasks. If a service animal is not tethered, it must be otherwise under the individual’s control, whether by voice control, signals, or other effective means.

Individuals are responsible for ensuring the immediate clean-up and proper disposal of all animal waste. Although the College may not charge an individual with a disability a service animal surcharge, it may impose charges for damages caused by a service animal in the same manner the College imposes charges for damages caused by individuals.

Assistance Animals in College Housing
Assistance animals are defined as animals that provide assistance, comfort or aid to a person by mere presence, without specific training, and have been determined necessary by a medical professional to alleviate symptoms of a disability. An assistance animal’s presence is limited to housing and residential settings.

Students requiring an assistance animal as a housing accommodation should submit an application for reasonable accommodations and required documentation to the Wellbeing and Accessibility Center located at:
2500 College Drive, Suite 2011D
Rock Springs, WY 82901

Required Documentation:

• A Statement from a medical practitioner that indicates the following:
• The student has a disability which substantially limits one or more major life activities.
• The student has a need for an assistance animal as a direct result of their disability.
• The assistance animal is necessary for the student to benefit from the College’s residential housing program.
• Verification that the animal has current immunizations and is licensed as required by Rock Springs City Ordinance.

Approval of assistance animals in residence halls will be determined on a case by case basis according to applicable laws and regulations. If use of an assistance animal is approved, Wellbeing and Accessibility will notify Mustang Central and the student of the approval. Students who are approved for an assistance animal must sign and comply with the College’s Residence Hall Service/Assistance Animal Comprehension Document.

Exceptions/Restricted Animals
The College may exclude an assistance animal from housing if the animal is not housebroken; would cause substantial physical damage to the property of others; would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others; would fundamentally alter the nature of a program or activity; is not being cared for by the individual, or is endangered, venomous, wild or otherwise dangerous.

Responsibilities of Individuals with Assistance Animals
The College is not responsible for the care or supervision of an assistance animal. Individuals with disabilities are responsible for the control of their assistance animal at all times and for ensuring the immediate clean-up and proper disposal of all animal waste. Individuals must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including vaccination, licensure, animal health and leash laws, as well as the College’s rules in lease provisions regarding vaccination, licensure, leash control, cleanup rules, animal health, and community relationships.

Service Animals (Students and Visitors)
A service animal is a dog or miniature horse that is specifically trained to do work or perform a task for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The work or tasks performed by the service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. A service animal is allowed in all public areas of the college, except where there are legitimate health or safety concerns.

Students or visitors requiring a service animal on the main campus are welcome to notify the Wellbeing and Accessibility office at Suite 2011-D for a volunteer registration of their animal. Students and visitors who do not have an obvious disability may be asked to answer the following questions regarding their animal:

• Is the animal a service animal that is required because of a disability?
• What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

If the animal does not meet criteria as a service animal, the student or visitor will be required to remove the animal from campus or check in with the Wellbeing and Accessibility Office. Species other than dogs and horses, such as wild animals, untrained animals, comfort animals, or emotional assistance animals are not service animals.

Students fraudulently representing an animal as a service animal or assistance animal will be referred to the Dean of Students.

Service Animals (Employees)
Employees of the College requiring a service animal must apply for a reasonable accommodation with Human Resources, Room 3035. Employees may be asked to provide documentation of their disability and a note from a medical provider explaining the need for the accommodation. Determinations for accommodations are made on a case by case basis, in alignment with all federal and state laws and regulations.

Rules for Assistance and Service Animals Animal Safety and Health

• The animal’s owner is responsible for the health and safety of the animal including cleaning up after the animal, daily food and attention, behavior of the animal, and overall welfare.
• Animals may not be left unattended overnight and may not be left in other residence halls or rooms.
• Animal waste or urine must be taken care of immediately using appropriate cleaning products.
• Animals must be under the control of their owner at all times. This means that the animal cannot disrupt others or cause a nuisance to staff, residents, or property.
• All liability for the actions of the animal is the responsibility of the owner.
• The animal’s owner is responsible to make sure that their residence is as clean as the original standard upon leaving campus.
• Owners are responsible for following and understanding all state, county and city rules, laws and regulations regarding animal ownership including:
  
  • City licensure requirements for animal ownership, including immunizations.
  • Laws prohibiting misrepresentation of a service or assistance animal.

Animals will be asked to be removed from campus under the following circumstances:

• The animal is found to be disruptive or out of control.
• The animal shows aggression towards any person.
• The animal is physically ill.
• The animal is unreasonably dirty.
• Any place on campus where the presence of an animal causes danger to the safety of others.
• Any place on campus where a service or assistance animal's safety is compromised.
• The animal may cause substantial damage to the property of others.
• The presence of the animal would fundamentally alter the nature of a program or activity.

Staff or students having concerns regarding service or assistance animals should contact Wellbeing and Accessibility at 307-382-1652.

The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to students and employees. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Vice President for Student Services
2500 College Drive, Room 3011
Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901
Phone: 307-382-1748

Approved: January 14, 2016
Revised: March 18, 2019