International Association of
Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP)
IAADP Conference Information
COMING SOON!
Exciting IAADP Webcast scheduled for July 20th 2013
In lieu of a traditional conference in 2013, this year IAADP has embarked on a pioneering venture in cyberspace! We wanted to broaden the opportunity for over 3000 IAADP members and others with a personal or professional interest in our topics to be able to attend and learn from our workshops. All you will need is access to the internet to join us for this online Event.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Saturday, July 20th, 2013, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST
IAADP’s board decided to waive this year's Registration Fee to ensure that the cost won’t be an obstacle for many disabled persons and others living on a very tight budget who could benefit from the information conveyed through this year’s Workshops.
What is a Webcast? Similar to a conference, it will give you the opportunity to enjoy more than one workshop. However the experience will seem much more up close and personal to many. Rather than sitting in an audience watching a speaker up on stage at a considerable distance away and possibly, a small movie screen near the speaker to display some slides, a webcast gives you a front row seat. Actually better than front row! Our guest speakers will be as near to you as if seated across a table from you. Two thirds of the webcast screen .....or 2/3rds of the computer monitor screen if you go to “full screen”..... will display colorful slides with text highlighting some of the information conveyed by the guest speaker. In our second presentation, there will also be video footage to enhance this learning experience.
Rather than the typical 30 - 45 min. length of a conference workshop, we decided to give our Guest Speakers the opportunity to provide us with a more in depth presentation. We told them not to worry about time if their presentation goes over an hour by 10 minutes or so. Together with IAADP’s introduction to each workshop and a 10 minute break between the two, we estimate our webcast will be approximately 3 hours in length. You are welcome to join us for one or both workshops!
REGISTRATION: Come back to this web page several days before June 1, 2013, the date of the broadcast for directions and links so you can enroll in this premiere event.
WORKSHOPS
( 1 ) Access to Hospitals and Other Healthcare Facilities for
Disabled Persons with Service Animals
Presenters: Sally Conway, the Deputy Chief of the Disability Rights section at the
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Eileen Hanrahan J.D., Supervisory Civil Rights Analyst in the
Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
There are two very important federal civil rights laws pertaining to the access rights of disabled persons with assistance dogs in a health care setting in the USA. Unfortunately, these laws seem to be poorly understood by many members of the health care provider community insofar as their legal obligations with regard to the civil rights of assistance dog partners. Others put out a welcome mat and try to bend over backwards to accommodate assistance dog teams so we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge their exemplary efforts.
Which law should disabled persons cite if they encounter an access problem with their guide dog, hearing dog or service dog in health care facilities? Is it Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990? In what situations would each law apply or take precedence? What are the rights and responsibilities of health care providers? Which federal agency should be contacted for additional information or enforcement purposes? These are just some of the questions on which we would appreciate clarification!
This workshop is a tremendous educational opportunity for assistance dog partners, their families, the employees of hospitals, doctors, dentists and many other health care providers, legal consultants, assistance dog training programs, advocates in the disabled community and relevant state agencies. This workshop will cover a wide range of topics and discuss options on how to handle complicated issues that can arise. The representatives of these two federal agencies will also address specific questions submitted by IAADP which our Information & Advocacy Center has received from disabled persons and hospital administrators seeking guidance.
( 2 ) Assessing Dogs for a Service Dog Career
Presenter: Jeanne Hampl R.N.
As the Executive Director of the Prison Pet Partnership Program, 1994-1998, she selected and supervised the training of service dog candidates by prison inmates, placing the successful dogs with disabled applicants. She also shared her nonprofit program’s pioneering work in identifying and training seizure alert dogs through Assistance Dogs International (ADI) conference workshops and through the media. From 1999 - 2013, as the founder and current President of the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound, Jeanne has helped many disabled persons to find and train suitable candidates to become their assistance dog, holding weekly training classes for that purpose. She is a longtime member of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI).
Who Can Benefit from this Workshop?
The demand for highly trained service dogs from reputable nonprofit programs in North America continues to far exceed the supply available to the disabled community each year. This leaves thousands of persons with a wide range of disabling conditions other than deafness or blindness who must look into other options in the attempt to make their dream of a service dog come true. The same holds true for the disabled population in some other countries where a shortage of funding, service dog trainers and /or suitable dogs limit how many dogs can be trained and placed each year and given follow up support by existing programs.
IAADP believes everyone dedicated to fostering high behavioral and training standards for guide, hearing and service dogs and the responsible use of legal access rights is a stakeholder in the success of such individuals. We would like to increase their chances of achieving a successful outcome. This workshop is the latest addition to our educational outreach efforts.
Over the years IAADP has received a number of bitter consumer complaints from disabled persons and their families about a trainer or program that took advantage of their inexperience and desperation. Some have been referred to IAADP by a guide dog school or a hearing dog or service dog program belonging to Assistance Dogs International (ADI) which was initially contacted by these consumers looking for training help to try to fix their dog’s problems due the huge emotional and /or financial investment they have in that dog.
So one of IAADP’s goals in holding this workshop is to educate disabled veterans, the parents of disabled children and many others seeking a service dog to try to help them become more savvy consumers and to be better able to recognize if a dog offered to them is suitable [ or NOT ] for this career and the particulars of their own situation.
Another important goal is to give a helping hand to those who may be considering the idea of owner-training a service dog for themselves or a disabled loved one. What factors should you consider before acquiring a puppy or an adult dog from a shelter, rescue, breeder or trainer? What tests can be useful in assessing a dog’s potential? If you already own a dog, how can you tell if this dog has the right traits needed for this challenging career?
In keeping with IAADP’s tradition of fostering the sharing of “how to” information between assistance dog partners and providers, this workshop also offers an opportunity to acquaint service dog trainers and nonprofit providers with some evaluation techniques that could be a valuable addition to their own assessment protocol.
Jean Hampl let us know she has set up an Email List for those who would like to have the opportunity for a Question & Answer discussion after her workshop. So if you would like to have further information on this topic and /or an opportunity to share your own insights on assessing dogs for a service dog career to help fairly new providers, trainers and those considering the owner-trainer option, she will provide Sign up information to you at the end of her presentation.
NOTE to the Readers of Partners Forum:
As IAADP’s Chairperson, I would like to thank you for your patience as I worked to overcome several unexpected technology related issues that arose after our newsletter, Partners Forum, went to press, announcing this Webcast. My initial estimate as to when we might be ready to hold the Webcast [ March ] did not take into account the possibility of such problems occurring. We delayed advertising this Webcast online till we could work through the technology issues and come up with a mutually compatible Date & Time for this Event. Each new project has a learning curve. I believe the educational value of these presentations will make the extra time invested very worthwhile.
If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me, Joan Froling, at Joan@iaadp.org or at 586-826-3938.