¶ … service animals (guide dogs, therapy dogs, etc.) are discriminated against by businesses, housing authorities, and public policy. Service animals perform a vital and emotional service to thousands of individuals in this country. They are the eyes, ears, and lips of many disabled people who could not exist on their own without them. Unfortunately, many people and businesses still do not understand the critical need for service animals, and so, they discriminate against the animals and their owners. Service animals perform a wide variety of services and tasks for people with disabilities, and many disabled people would not be able to function effectively without their animals. Initially, service animals were trained to help lead their blind owners through everyday tasks, from walking to work to negotiating around their homes. Called "guide dogs," many were trained by "Seeing Eye," Inc., and those dogs were known as "seeing-eye" dogs. Today, animals, not just dogs, provide a variety of services for the disabled and elderly. Guide dogs still help the blind, and service animals also are trained to help the deaf "hear," and aid wheelchair bound individuals by leading or pulling them, or helping them with balance and movement. They can also pick up and carry items, notify others if their owner is having a seizure, and even act as companions and therapy dogs for people with severe disorders such as autism. One expert writes, "Service dogs perform tasks such as operating light switches, retrieving items, pulling wheelchairs, and opening doors. Hearing dogs assist people who are deaf or hearing impaired by alerting them to sounds such as telephone rings, crying infants, alarms, and people calling them by name" (Henderson). Service animals are not pets, they are highly trained assistants who can make the difference between a disabled person living on their own or living in a group home or other assisted-living situation. Today, they are more than dogs. A variety of animals have been trained to assist the disabled, from miniature horses to pot-bellied pigs and beyond. The use of service animals is not a new idea....
One researcher notes, "The use of animals to assist their ailing human counterparts dates to the early Greeks who gave horseback rides to raise the spirits of people who were incurably ill, and documentation from the seventeenth century makes medical reference to horseback riding as treatment for gout, neurological disorders, and low morale" (Henderson). Today, service animals perform more duties than ever before, and because of this, some unwitting businesses and people may discriminate against service dogs before they understand their function and necessity.
Society Feels About Animals As a first order primate, humans have a natural affinity with animals of all types that has contributed to their mutual relationships throughout history. In fact, animals of different types have been since the time of the ancient Greeks to improve the emotional and functional status of humans (Mccauley, 2006, p. 358). Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has grown in popularity in recent years based on its proven
4). Singer references the essay in the book by Richard Ryder, who criticizes (with great justification) animal experiments ("now a large industry"). Of course there have been laws passed in the U.S. Congress subsequent to when this book was published, laws that provide guidelines for any animal research, but Ryder provides Singer with some gruesome experiments on animals and Singer reports them in his essay. How moral is a company
Race Discrimination Justice Discrimination RACE DISCIMINATION CRIMINAL JUSTICE Race and Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System Racial inequality has long been an issue in the American society. Despite making substantial progress in creating a more racially equal society, there are still many issues involving race and discrimination that can be found today. The criminal justice system was designed to treat all individuals equally under the law. However, covert racism and discrimination still plague the
Wrongful arrest due to seizure activity in public is a not uncommon complication for individuals with epilepsy and other seizure disorders, not caused by illicit behaviors. There are "2.3 million Americans living with epilepsy," (Guiden, 2003) all of whom at some time have experienced challenges associated with their disease and many of whom have been the victims of wrongful arrest and incarceration. Yet, it seems that lack of awareness of the
American Pit Bull Terrier What is the American Pit Bull Terrier? What are its origins and what is its history? The American Pit Bull Terrier has most often been described as the dog that is closest to the human race, in its likeness to the human race. This endearing breed of dog has the most charming and pleasing of personalities, in that it is very individualistic and independent, as well as
Karl Marx An Evolutionist & a Revolutionist Karl Marx's work in the field of social sciences cannot be ignored. The scientific importance of Marx's work is based on him following the theory of evolution, which was initially concerned with the evolution of mere organic plants and animals and then moved onto the evolution of human society. Marx has been generally considered as a revolutionary scientist who advocates the right side of sociology
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