We understand that service and emotional support animals help people in our community; however, the two groups are distinct and have varying rights and access under the law (and at the Y). The YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas welcomes service animals, which are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are afforded specific rights.
Service animals perform a variety of duties, including:
- Guiding people who are blind
- Alerting people who are deaf
- Pulling a wheelchair
- Alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure
- Reminding a person with a mental illness to take prescribed medications
- Calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack
Service and emotional support animals are not the same. See the differences below:
| Service Animals | Emotional Support Animals | |
| Covered by the ADA to bring into public establishments? | Yes | No |
| Allowed in apartments and condos with a "no pets" policy? | Yes | Yes |
| Trained to do a specific task for a specific peson with a disability? | Yes | No |
| Primary function to provide support through companionship? | No | Yes |
| Must be certified or registered? | No | No |
Source: Northeast ADA Center
