Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

Pets 

A "pet" is any animal kept for ordinary use and companionship. Service animals and Emotional Support Animals are not considered pets. Pets are generally prohibited indoors on the Geneseo campus.

Service Animals

A "service animal" means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the person's disability. The provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship does not constitute work or tasks for the purpose of this definition. Species other than dogs or, in some cases, miniature horses, are not considered service animals for the purpose of this definition of a service animal.

Service animals will be permitted to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of Geneseo’s facilities. Geneseo does not require documentation, such as proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal. Individuals accompanied by a service animal on campus but who do not need any disability-related accommodations are not required to register with the Office of Accessibility Services, nor is such individual required to submit a request for a reasonable accommodation to receive access of his or her service animal, including use of the service animal in the residential halls.

Geneseo cannot ask about the nature or extent of a person's disability to determine whether a person's animal qualifies as a service animal. However, when it is not apparent that a dog is a service animal, staff may make two inquiries to determine whether the dog qualifies as a service animal, which are:

(1) Is the dog required because of a disability?

(2) What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

A service animal must be housebroken (i.e., trained so that it controls its waste elimination, absent illness or accident) and must be kept under control by a harness, leash, or other tether. Geneseo will assess requests for the use of miniature horses by people with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Requests should be submitted to the Office of Accessibility Services and, consistent with applicable laws, Geneseo may make modifications in its policies to permit their use if they meet certain criteria and have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of people with disabilities.

Emotional Support Animal (ESA)

An “emotional support animal" (or comfort animal) is an animal that provides emotional or other support that ameliorates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person's disability. Unlike service animals, support animals are not required to be trained to perform work or tasks, and they include species other than dogs and miniature horses.

ESA are generally not allowed to accompany persons with disabilities in all public areas of Geneseo as a service animal is allowed to do, but an ESA may reside in the Residence Halls when it may be necessary to afford the person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy housing. Students may not have an ESA in their residential hall unless approved by the Office of Accessibility Services and the Office of Residence Life.

Requesting an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)

  1. Review the Emotional Support Animal Policy
  2. Submit a completed ESA Request Form (below) or other supporting documentation and submit to the Office of Accessibility Services 
  3. Our office will contact you with information on scheduling an appointment
ESA Request Form Digital Version.docx

 

ESA Request Form Print Version.docx

 

  • Documentation must be completed by a qualified, licensed medical or mental health provider who has an established patient relationship with the student and can attest to the student’s current functioning in the college environment. ESA letters or documentation from unqualified providers, or from providers who do not have a history of working with the student will not be accepted. 
  • If a student has concerns about access to a treatment provider to complete the form, or the treatment provider is unable to complete the form, they may contact the OAS.
  • The OAS may require additional documentation from the student's medical or mental health provider to provide sufficient information for Geneseo to determine: That the individual qualifies as a person with a disability (i.e., has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities); and that the ESA may be necessary to afford the person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy Residential living.

The form and/or additional supporting documentation may be submitted via email, mail, fax, or in-person: 
Office of Accessibility Services
SUNY Geneseo
1 College Circle, Erwin Hall 22
Geneseo, NY 14454
Email: access@geneseo.edu
Phone: (585)-245-5112 
Fax: (585)-245-5091