I am a student with a physical disability at the University of Texas at Austin. I have a task-trained service dog that assists me in getting around on campus. Thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act, service dogs are allowed to accompany their handlers in public as long as the dog is mitigating their disability with trained tasks. Because of my service dog, I am able to independently do activities that other students are able to do around campus.

UT Austin has regulations that restrict the presence of pets and emotional support animals in University buildings, which are outlined here:

https://diversity.utexas.edu/animals/

While service dogs have legal access, pets are fully excluded from University buildings, and Emotional Support Animals are limited to a person’s individual housing assignment (apartment or dorm room) and restricted from all other University buildings. Because pets and Emotional Support Animals do not have training requirements like service dogs, they are not fit for full public access.

Despite this, the presence of pets and Emotional Support Animals in University buildings continues to pose a safety threat to students, staff, and faculty with disabilities who rely on service animals. Far too often, students like me experience negative encounters with untrained animals on campus that do not have legal public access. 

There have been several instances within University buildings where untrained dogs have displayed aggressive or distracting behaviors towards disabled people and their service dogs, including barking, growling, lunging, and even attempts to bite. These incidents can distract a service animal from their very important job and cause harm to their disabled handler (for example, if a service dog misses an alert to a seizure, or pulls a wheelchair user off course). In addition, repeated incidents can cause stress and trauma to service animals, which in some instances has required the animal to retire from service work. Moreover, an untrained aggressive animal has the potential to cause direct physical injuries to the service dog and their handler.

In conversation with other students, staff, and faculty on campus, it is clear that many individuals are not aware of the regulations implemented by UT Austin to restrict the presence of animals on campus. While these regulations are available to view online (https://diversity.utexas.edu/animals/) most people do not know what they are. This is why installing proper signage on all University buildings is critical to increasing the general awareness of these policies and mitigating the health and safety risks associated with animals on campus.

The content and language used on the proposed signage must be legally accurate and detailed. Ideally, it should include the following:

1. Establish that pets are not allowed inside the building
2. Establish that trained service animals are welcome inside the building
3. Define that under ADA law, a service animal is an animal that is trained to perform tasks to assist an individual with a disability
4. Clarify that emotional support and comfort animals are not legally recognized as service animals under the ADA
5. Reiterate the University’s rule that individuals must not falsely claim that an animal is a service animal, as such an action is in violation of state and federal law.

Installing detailed signage can provide an immediate source of information to individuals with pets and Emotional Support Animals who may not be aware of the regulations in place. It reminds individuals of the definition of a service animal and why they are necessary. It would clear up the commonly held confusion about the differences in public access rights between trained service animals and emotional support animals. And most importantly, it would create a sense of safety and security for people with disabilities who rely on service animals, greatly reducing the fear and anxiety that many of us feel at UT Austin due to previous stressful experiences. This type of signage has already been successfully implemented in many other types of establishments, including restaurants, grocery stores, and hospitals.

Listed below are the guidelines referenced from UT Austin’s Animals On Campus Policy Statement:

“The University permits service animals in University buildings and housing where other animals are normally excluded.”

“An emotional support animal is permitted on campus grounds and to accompany an individual with a disability into his or her University housing assignment in accordance with the FHA. However, an emotional support animal is not allowed to accompany the individual into his or her residential dining center or into any other University building.”

”Individuals are not permitted to bring emotional support animals inside University buildings (other than University housing), or to University events and functions, including, but not limited to, lectures, performing arts venues, and athletics facilities/events.”

“Individuals must not falsely claim that an animal is a service animal or emotional support animal when it is not. Such an action is in violation of state and federal law.”