Event Description:
Assistance (or Service) Dogs are trained to help people with disabilities. We will talk about what an assistance dog is and is not, as well as how they are trained to help people. We will also talk about the less obvious benefits having an assistance dog gives someone living with a disability, and provide a video of a working assistance dog. Research evidence of the benefits of assistance dogs and related information for OT service will be included. (for example, how to work with a client who has an assistance dog, what daily occupational tasks does the dog mitigate, how to advocate for an assistance dog). Finally, we'll go over proper etiquette when working with a client who has an assistance dog.

Speaker Biographies: 
Laurie Carlson, Community Outreach Coordinator, has worked at Can Do Canines for 21 years and speaks to groups on the subject of service dogs. Laurie has attended disability awareness seminars, spoken to support groups continuously during their employment at Can Do Canines, in addition to attending numerous dog behavior seminars and Assistance Dogs International (ADI) conferences.             

Denise Yokom MS/RCES, Client Services Manager, has been with Can Do Canines since June of 2019 after a 20+ year career in health care as a Cardiac Rehab Therapist.  At Can Do Canines, Denise interviews potential clients and determine their needs with an assistance dog which includes clarifying reasonable expectations on skills the dog can do. Denise works with current clients and their dogs to help them realize their potential as a working team, and communicate with our clients on training, health and behavior questions.

Learning Objectives:

• Differentiate between what is and what is not an assistance dog under the Americans With Disabilities Act.                  

• Describe the skills assistance dogs learn to help people with specific disabilities (etc. mobility, seizure, hearing, autism, diabetes)                      

• Recognize how assistance dogs often help in secondary ways from the task originally trained (ex. emotional support, decreased medications, decreased need for PCA assistance).

• Access reputable organizations, services and resources to refer your clients for client-specific needs.Learn skills needed to effectively advocate for a client to have an assistance dog, and for the client to use the dog to its full potential.

Number of CEUs: 1 hour

Target Audience: OTs, OTAs, Students

Educational Level:  Introductory

AOTA Practice Area:  Physical Disabilities and Pediatrics

Fee: $5/members, $25/non-members

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