Your Rights
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) generally prohibits privately owned businesses that serve the public from discriminating against individuals with “disabilities.” The ADA requires these businesses to allow their customers with disabilities to bring service animals into whatever areas customers are generally allowed. This includes business such as:
| Hotels & Motels | Movie Theaters & Concert Halls |
| Commercial Airlines | Public Buildings & Parks |
| Taxicabs | Retail Stores & Restaurants |
| Sports Facilities | Grocery Stores & Other Stores |
If you have a physical impairment or mental impairment that the law considers a “disability,” then most likely, you are legally entitled to bring your Service Animal into many different settings. Although Free My Paws cannot give you legal advice or tell you whether you are legally disabled, we provide our handy, Disability Self-Assessment Test to help you understand whether you likely qualify under the relevant rules
Even if you don’t think that you’re legally disabled—you still may be legally “disabled” under the ADA. Just go through our Disability Self-Assessment Test
In summary:
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 protects your right as a disabled person to take your Service Animal anywhere non-disabled people can go with or without animals even if the business has a no animal policy. See the latest updates to the ADA here.
