Service Animals and Assistance Animals
The University of Cincinnati seeks to accommodate persons with disabilities who need the assistance of service animals. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is "a dog individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability" (28 CFR part 36).
Assistance Animal Student Request Form
The University of Cincinnati does not allow students to have pets in University owned and operated housing. However, The University of Cincinnati recognizes that the reasonable accommodation of an Assistance Animal is sometimes necessary to afford a student with a mental health disability equal access to University residential communities. These animals provide emotional support and other kinds of assistance but do not perform work or tasks that would define them as Service Animals under the ADA. The need for an Assistance Animal due to disability must be identified by a qualified mental health professional and approved through Accessibility Resources on a case-by-case basis.
A diagnosis by a mental health professional alone does not guarantee the request will be approved. When reviewing submitted documentation, Accessibility Resources considers the nature of the symptoms and all available accommodations and supports when making final decisions and recommendations. Accessibility Resources reserves the right to request additional documentation when making a final determination.
If a student wishes to make a formal request for an Assistance Animal, they must:
- Complete the New Student Registration Form using our online system, UC Accommodate, and
- Submit a completed Assistance Animal Health Professional Form or detailed letter from a qualified medical professional through the Documents section in your UC Accommodate account (under Accommodation in the menu).
It is the student’s responsibility to provide this form to their medical professional and upload the completed form to their Assistance Animal Request Form.
Accessibility Resources will review each Assistance Animal request on a case-by-case basis. Approval decisions will only be communicated via UC email accounts. If approved, the student will receive additional forms for completion and will need to schedule a meeting with Accessibility Resources to discuss polices and expectations for the Owner and that of animal before an Assistance Animal can be moved into University managed housing, on or off campus.