A Northern Virginia elementary school turned away a child’s service dog. Twelve-year-old Andrew Stevens lives with a rare form of epilepsy and the dog is trained to detect and respond to seizures. But Fairfax County says this dog is not allowed in school. It took the Stevens family two years of waiting and of raising $20,000 to get this highly trained animal. They had hoped the dog would be Andrew’s gateway back into a world filled with other children. Instead, it’s led to a dogfight between his family and Fairfax County.
Andrew Stevens classroom has only a chair, a table and mom. Learning, even sitting still is tough for this 12 year old. A few years ago his family found out why. Andrew suffers from Lennoz-Gastaut Syndrome.
His mother Nancy Stevens describes the disease, which has both physical and emotional symptoms,” Is a rare form of epilepsy where he has multiple seizures that cannot be controlled by medication.”
So why is the school denying Andrew his service dog in school? Because Andrew is not and can never be considered a certified dog handler. Of course he can’t train a dog to do what it does for him. How does someone who is disabled and needs the service dog qualify to become a handler. I mean I guess if someone has a seeing eye dog they can still learn how to handle the dog maybe. Though I don’t see how any person who needs a service dog in order to function in their every day lives could possibly become certified as a handler. Plus there are so few institutions around the country that train people to become handlers of this caliber.
But its the dogs who detect epilepsy getting denied access to schools. The children whose condition cannot be regulated with medication and need the dog for safety are also the ones with learning disabilities and so have difficulties learning themselves let along trying to train a dog. What do these schools suggest? That because the children who need them cannot be certified handlers that the children either attend school regardless of their safety or have to stay home and be home schooled.
Andrew needs to the dog to help him live his life as normally as possible and to help not only detect seizures to but to push a magnet she has on her collar against a medical devise implanted in Andrew’s body to send a signal to the devise to send a shock to Andrew’s brain in order to lessen the effects of each seizure.
wow just wow why would the school argue over this? There are some really really dumb people out there!
So nutty!! What are they thinking
Benny & Lily
I am multiply disabled but yet both Shiloh and Shasta are registered therapy dogs that I trained myself – not anyone else. When we visit nursing homes, the library or a hospice, I am the only handler – no one else is there with me. Besides, when will people learn – it's the law. Does Fairfax realize the ramifications if Andrew is on their(the school) and he is hurt because he went into a seizure that the dog could have prevented? Fairfax could be sued big-time. I know what the Americans With Disabilities Act says about service dogs – I know what the ADA Amendment Act says and I know what the IDEA says about children with disabilities being GUARANTEED an equal education as any other student in the least restrictive environment. When I get home later, if I have time, I want to come back to your blog to watch the video.
Kim (Mom Beaglebratz)
The Office of Civil Rights required mandatory training on disability laws two years ago because of how their high school, TJ, treated a disabled child. I thought they might grow a heart and a bit of wisdom, but it appears another mother and child suffer. I hope this little boy gets a better treatment than the last girl.