Request For Assistance Animals in Harvard Housing

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Access and Disability Services / OSA

Request For
Assistance Animals in Harvard Housing

An assistance animal is an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability.

In order to explore your request for an assistance animal as reasonable accommodation in Harvard Housing, the following guidelines should be followed.

• 
  Provide medical documentation supporting that you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
  

Disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person’s major life activities, such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working

• 
  Documentation must support a disability-related need for an assistance animal. In other words, does the animal work, provide assistance, perform tasks or services for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provide emotional support that alleviates one or more of the identified symptoms or effects of a person’s existing disability?
  
• 
  Documentation must demonstrate relationship, or nexus, between a disability and the assistance/emotional support that the animal provides.
  

o In the case of emotional support animals, does the animal assist in alleviating one or more
symptoms or effects of an existing disability?
o Does the presence of the animal help in the treatment of a disability?

Note: The need for the animal must arise out of the person’s disability and not be a function of personal preference or convenience, nor is an emotional attachment to an animal sufficient.

Please submit your medical documentation to:

Eileen Connell Berger

Access and Disability Services Administrator

Gutman Library, Room 124 A&B

6 Appian Way

Cambridge, MA 02138

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

[e-mail]

This document is available in alternative format upon request.