Service Animals:

“Service animal” means a dog, or in rare situations, a miniature horse that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with  a disability including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but  are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and  other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items  such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. 

Access:

Allowed in university buildings, classrooms, residence halls, dining areas, recreational facilities, meetings, activities and events when accompanied by a person with a disability and the service animal is trained to provide, and does provide, a specific service to that person that is directly related to the person's disability.

Inquiries: 

University officials will not inquire about the qualifications of a service animal when it is readily apparent that an animal is trained to do work or to perform a task for a person with a disability (e.g., the dog is observed guiding an individual who is blind or has low vision, pulling a person's wheelchair, or providing assistance with stability or balance to a person with an observable mobility disability).

If it is not readily apparent that an animal is performing work or a task on behalf of an individual with a disability, university officials may only inquire:

• Whether the animal is required because of a disability; and,
• What work or task the animal has been trained to perform
• UNT faculty and staff will not ask for documentation regarding the animal's certification, training, or licensure.

Accommodations: 

Academic:

Students are not required to have a service animal listed on their letter of accommodation. However, if they would like to do so, they should contact their ODA Coordinator who will ask them the two questions listed above.

Housing:

Students only need to notify UNT Housing and Residence Life of the animal prior to moving in. A student with a disability who intends on residing in a UNT residence hall with their service animal should notify UNT Housing and Residence Life prior to their arrival on campus. This is not to request permission but moreso to notify them of the animals presence to allow them to support the person with the disability and make any necessary arrangements. 

Service Animals in training: 

Service animals in training that are accompanied by an approved trainer are allowed the same access to the university as fully trained service dogs. The University of North Texas generally defines an "approved trainer" as a person with a disability who is training the animal to provide a service related to their disability. A person with a disability may request an accommodation to UNT Policy, which prohibits service animals in training from residing in university residence halls. The student should send an email to their ODA Coordinator and Brad Dye, ADA Assignments Coordinator with UNT Housing. All other trainers who wish to bring a service animal in training to campus (such as a person without a disability raising a puppy for a service dog organization) are generally not permitted according to UNT policy, but students are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Access at disability@unt.edu with any questions or concerns related to their specific situation. 

Additional Responsibilities:

Please view the UNT policy for additional responsibilities of a service animal owner on campus.