ACAA
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Two service animal stories and the lessons they teach
I am belatedly blogging about two recent decisions that have already been discussed elsewhere.¹ The legal issues presented are interesting,² but for businesses concerned with service animals the practical lessons are, I think, more important. In Mission Working Dogs a group of disabled individuals took their service dogs in training to a local mall where they Continue reading
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Happy New Years – 2020 ADA and FHA retrospective
Here’s a toast to the end of a bad year. I don’t know anyone who won’t be happy to see 2020 behind us, but it’s worth looking back at how the law of accessibility developed in the last year. Fair Housing Act developments were bracketed by two events, one of which was scarcely noticed but Continue reading
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DOT issues new in-flight animal restrictions, and a breath of reason in regulation.
The Department of Transportation has issued it final rule concerning in-flight rules for animals helping those with disabilities.¹ The bottom line is straightforward. Airlines are only required to permit dogs trained to perform a specific disability related tasks in the cabin of their aircraft. This adopts the same restriction that the Department of Justice has Continue reading
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DOT enforcement policy for “service animals” still doesn’t get it.
On August 9 the Department of Transportation issued its “Final Statement of Enforcement Priorities Regarding Service Animals” based on the Air Carrier Access Act and existing regulations. New regulations are on the way, but probably not any time soon,* so this Final Statement, which replaces an Interim Statement issued in May of 2018, is the Continue reading

