Emotional Support Animals in Campus Housing – On-Demand Training

Navigate the Matrix with Practical, Supportive and Legally Defensible Policies

Institutions have the right to determine request and registration policies, responsibilities of owners and requirements that must be upheld for Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) to remain on campus. However, failure to uphold reasonable requests, campus policies and federal anti-discrimination laws could lead to time-consuming and costly litigation for your campus and loss of federal funding.

What are the relevant roles that legal, housing, enrollment, disability services and security departments play in the design, implementation, and enforcement of policies on animals on your campus to ensure compliance?

Our expert presenters offer practical insight into the requirements surrounding these accommodation requests, including some of the misunderstood and overlooked aspects of the ESA accommodation process. You’ll explore the necessary processes and key considerations for a successful campus ESA policy, with the goal of balancing the protection of the institution and supporting the access and inclusion needs of students with disabilities.

You will leave this online training with the confidence to accurately assess your current policies and procedures to help you meet the needs of your students with disabilities and to make sure you are prepared to remedy any potential issues with ESAs before a conflict arises.

Topics Covered

As a result of this webinar, you will be able to:

• Understand how the ADA, Section 504 and the Fair Housing Act impact the ability of students to bring Emotional Support Animals to campus – develop, implement, and effectively enforce legally-defensible policies and procedures related to students’ rights to have emotional support animals in campus housing.
• Better understand some often-overlooked aspects of ESA accommodations processes and requirements – ensure you uphold your policies, remain compliant with the law and support your students with documented disabilities.
• Confidently process requests for assistance animals in campus housing, including the range of permissible inquiries and documentation that institutions can require – create policies and procedures to protect your institution's mission and to ensure a healthy, supportive living/learning community.
• Identify and involve key stakeholders for engaging in collaborative policy development – ensure your policies are clearly communicated to students and staff.
•  Evaluate, revise, and/or update existing ESA policy and accommodation processes – foster an affirming and supportive environment for all students so that you can support their academic, social, and emotional goals.

Presenters

Chris Stone, Ed.D. is Director of Disability Resources at Washington University in St. Louis.
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Amber L. Grove is the Director of Title IX and Clery Compliance at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and has served in that role since January 2016.
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