Dear colleagues,

The University is releasing its updated Service Animals Guideline this week. The guideline applies to all members of our tri-campus University community, as well as to visitors, and is intended to ensure we provide a welcoming environment for those who are accompanied by service animals.

The Guideline puts the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements regarding service animals in the context of the University environment. It answers questions about what qualifies as a service animal, where service animals are allowed on the three campuses, including in residences, and how to create an environment where service animals and their owners feel included.

As a reminder, various types of animals can act as service animals, including cats, smaller dogs, gerbils, and rabbits (although as you’ll see from our FAQs, there are some limits on the types of animals that can be kept in Toronto and Mississauga.)

If you are living with a disability and are considering bringing your service animal to campus, we welcome you to do so. Employee Health & Well-being can discuss any specific concerns and make arrangements to facilitate the animal’s presence in the workplace. Employees can also choose to register their service animal with Health & Well-being. In doing so, employees will receive an identifying T-Card symbol confirming the registration.

Ben Poynton, the University’s AODA Officer, can walk you through an assessment of unique situations, the Guideline and a series of detailed FAQs, which can be found at http://uoft.me/serviceanimals.

Service animals are working animals and, as such, should be left alone to support the person they are accompanying.

Thank you for working with us to ensure that our campuses are accessible.