"Thirteen people and six service dogs were turned away from the Dedham restaurant Sunday night" (Photo from CBSBoston.com)
There are so many benefits for people who use the assistance of a service dog. However, there are everyday challenges that the general public may not know about, and these difficulties stem from ignorance of the law. Recently, a group of people with service dogs was turned away from the Bamboo Gourmet Restaurant in Dedham, Mass. They were told to leave their dogs outside the restaurant. For people who depend upon service dogs, this kind of treatment is unacceptable — it’s also against the law.
The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees that all people with disabilities have the legal right to use their assistance animal in all areas that are open to the general public. (For more information about the rights of people with service dogs, read the NEADS Disability Rights and Access Summary)
Click here to read the original article, “Disabled People With Service Dogs Turned Away From Dedham Restaurant“
(Note: No NEADS dogs were involved in this incident. However, ignorance of the law impacts every person with a service dog, including NEADS clients.)
Earlier this summer I saw a similar story about discrimination against those with service dogs and ignorance of the law. This involved a woman being told to put her service dog in the trunk of a taxi because the driver was allergic:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Allergy/allergic-cabbie-forces-eye-dog-ride-trunk-fined/story?id=13791380
Just found this post now – actually, one of the dogs is a NEADS dog. (Not mine, but I’m always impressed by NEADS dogs). The news stories got the details a little hazy; five of the dogs are guide dogs and one (the NEADS dog) is a hearing dog. Thanks for the support!
-Rachel, pictured above with Brodie