Policies & Procedures Manual

461

ECCC will allow an assistance animal if certain conditions are met. The animal must be necessary for the resident with a disability to afford an equal opportunity to use the residence, and there must be an identifiable relationship between the resident’s disability and the assistance the animal provides. An accommodation is unreasonable if it presents an undue financial or administrative burden on the College, poses a direct threat to the life, health, safety, or welfare of the College community, and/or constitutes a fundamental alteration of the nature of the service or program. a. Submitting medical/reasonable documentation from a licensed medical professional to the Vice President for Student Services/ADA Coordinator (601-635-6205); and b. Making an accommodation request to the Vice President for Student Services/ADA Coordinator (601-635-6205) via the Housing Application upon being admitted to the College. There must be a link between the animal and the resident’s disability. Emotional distress resulting from having to give up an animal because of a “no pets” policy does not qualify a person for an accommodation under federal law. Any student approved an assistance animal in ECCC facilities must also meet HUDs requirements/policies for animal health and behavior to include the following: a. Dogs must have documentation of current vaccination against rabies and a clean bill of health from a veterinarian. b. All other animals must have a clean bill of health from a veterinarian. c. All animals must be on a flea and tick program at the handler’s expense, and the handler must provide proof of flea prevention. Requests for assistance animals in on-campus residence halls should be made by:

GRIEVANCES

If an individual is dissatisfied by a decision concerning a service animal or assistance animal, or if a student feels he or she has suffered discrimination or harassment based on his or her disability, the student may submit a grievance to the Vice President for Student Services (601-635-6205) using the Disability-Related Grievance (ADA/Section 504) procedures found in Policy 822.1, STUDENT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES .

(Added 3/20/18)