Who Let the Dogs Out? A Plea for Official Guidelines on Service Animals in the Teaching Laboratory

Abstract

Microbiology teaching labs provide the opportunity for students to develop marketable skills while observing the microbial inhabitants of our planet as they grow, ferment, and produce colorful by-products. Emphasizing safe laboratory practices is an essential part of this education, but occasionally situations that challenge safety paradigms arise. We describe here a recent incident in which a student brought a guide dog-in-training to her microbiology lab, causing a scramble to provide “reasonable” accommodations. Following time-consuming consultations with Disability Services for Students, Human Resources, Risk Management, and Legal Counsel, it was determined that the student had no disability herself and was not actually a certified guide-dog trainer. This deceptive behavior is not acceptable in general but is especially dangerous in a microbiology lab where safe lab practices are essential. Ultimately it was agreed that the microbiology lab is not a public space but rather a restricted space that requires closed toed shoes and personal protective equipment. Thus it is not possible to admit animals that are not fully trained, as this can endanger both the animal and the other students in the laboratory. The intent is not to limit opportunities for the truly disabled but rather to keep every student safe. Our objective is to bring attention to this complex issue in hopes that the American Society for Microbiology or other prominent scientific organizations will establish clear guidelines to educate students, faculty, administrators, and the general public on the challenges and dangers associated with guide dogs in a microbiology laboratory.