California law is vigilant when protecting the rights of individuals with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. One way that the law provides for disabled persons is by allowing them the use of a service dog in all public places. In fact, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), anyone who denies someone entry to a public place on account of his or her service animal is liable to face legal charges.
However, you may be wondering: can I bring my service dog to work? Unfortunately, the ADA is not as explicit about this. However, California employees who require the assistance of a service animal at their workplace have good reason to expect a favorable outcome.
According to the ADA, refusing to allow reasonable accommodation for an employee with a disability is considered discrimination on the basis of disability. If an employee would benefit from an accommodation due to a disability, his or her employer is required by law to allow it, unless he or she can demonstrate that the accommodation would harm the business.
What Can I Do to Receive Accommodations at Work?
To request a service dog at work, you may initiate a dialogue with your employer, which the ADA calls the “interactive process.” Employers are required to engage in such a conversation, and determine what reasonable accommodations can be made for the employee involved. If your employer denies you permission to bring a service dog to work, and it is not clear why the presence of a service animal would harm the company, your employer may be liable to face discrimination charges.
Alan Burton Newman has been protecting the rights of California employees since 1991, and has collected millions of dollars on behalf of mistreated workers. If you feel that you have been wrongfully denied a service animal at your workplace, contact our Harvard-educated Los Angeles employment law attorney, Alan Burton Newman today.