WEBINAR: Service Dogs in Science Labs: Barriers to Inclusion

People with disabilities who rely on service dogs are often prohibited from bringing their working dogs into teaching and research laboratories, biomedical careers, and employment opportunities in STEM fields. This one barrier can prevent them from pursuing careers in science. There is nearly a century-long history showing the efficacy of a service dog in providing independence and medical assistance for a disabled handler. This, in conjunction with the documented increase in the enrollment of students with disabilities in post-secondary education, people with disabilities in biomedical sciences, both academic and careers, and the reported increase in placement of service dogs to people with a wide variety of disabilities over the last four decades, illustrates that it is time we take a hard look at the importance of accessibility options and inclusion policies for service dog handlers in STEM fields. This webinar explores the specific risks associated with allowing service dogs into various laboratory environments. It provides solutions and guidance for inclusive policies and adaptive laboratory environments that outline the conditions under which service dogs may be present. Policies, procedures, and benchmarking tools establish guidelines by providing a basis for informed decision-making and giving faculty and staff tools for accommodating service dog handlers in science laboratories. These tools provide the knowledge needed to remove mystery and ambiguity. Joey Ramp-Adams outlines policies and practices that will make science laboratories accessible to people with service dogs. Proactively developing inclusive guidelines and policies for individual service dog handlers in science academic or industry laboratories is a step toward a diverse, inclusive, and accessible science culture, climate, and environment.