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Glossary of Terms

Assistance Dog: A generic term for guide, hearing, or service dog specifically trained to do more than one task to mitigate an individual’s disabilities. The presence of a dog for protection, personal defense, or comfort does not qualify that dog as an assistance dog.

Assistance Dog Instructor: A person affiliated with a program who is recognized by that program as being directly responsible for educating an assistance dog team and/or meeting other educational requirements of the program.

Assistance Dog Trainer: A person affiliated with a program as being directly responsible for the training and conduct of an assistance dog in training.

Client: Any individual who is an applicant, student, or graduate of an assistance dog program.

Facility Dog: A specially trained dog that is working with a volunteer or professional who is trained by a program. The work of a facility dog can include visitations or professional therapy in one or more locations. Public access is permitted only when the dog and handler, who is a trained volunteer or professional, is directly working with a client with a disability.

Guide Dog: A dog that guides individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

Hearing Dog: A dog that alerts individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to specific sounds.

Privately Trained Assistance Dog: An assistance dog trained by an individual who is not affiliated with of an assistance dog training program.

Program: An organization involved in the training of assistance dogs.

Public Access: The right of a person with a disability to be accompanied by his/her assistance dog in all public accommodations. Public access is granted to the person with the disability, not to the assistance dog.

Public Access for Assistance Dog Instructors and Assistance Dog Trainers: The ability of an assistance dog trainer to work with a dog in public places in order to replicate rather than simulate real life situations.

Puppy raiser: A person or family appointed by a program to socialize and prepare a young dog to enter formal training.

Service Dog: A dog that works for individuals with disabilities other than blindness or deafness. They are trained to perform a wide variety of tasks including but not limited to; pulling a wheelchair, bracing, retrieving, alerting to a medical crisis, and providing assistance in a medical crisis.