Cards for People With Invisible Disabilities Explain the Law to Stores, Hotels, and Other Places of Business

Tags

ADA, Business, Disability, Dog, research, Service animal, Service dog

English: Galomy Oak’s Aurora del Mango – service dog in training (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

People with invisible disabilities tend to have more problems in places of business, in my opinion.  People who are blind or in a wheelchair have a visable reason for using a service dog.  We don’t, because you can’t see what is wrong with us at first glance.

I do my best not to have this problem.  Or, I did before Copper retired.  In Copper’s vest I would have:

• the prescription from my doctor
• The letters of recommendation from others
• A couple copies of the ada business brief from the ada website
• Commonly asked questions about service animals.
• A card for copper that listed him as a service dog, had his picture and mine as well as emergency medical information:  my diagnosis, my doctor’s numbers, and Copper’s vet number as well as the emergency vet.
• The small cards from the Delta website

I put it all, except for the small law cards from the ada website in a plastic envelope with Velcro closure and slipped it into copper’s vest or my purse, whichever was more convenient that day.

No, the laws don’t require this or anything else, really, but I got annoyed with being questioned about my dog.  Whether your disability is psychiatric, like mine, or if you have hearing or some other problem that isn’t immediately apparent, you might want to at least have the business brief and/or the law cards from the ada’s website.

I hope this helps you to avoid service dog challenges and makes living with your invisible disability just a little easier.

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