Bringing Service Animals Into The Lab

Cultural Challenges

Joey Ramp's journey into the STEM field highlights the cultural challenges faced by individuals with service dogs. She recounts the initial resistance she encountered, with many faculty members deeming the presence of a service dog in labs as too dangerous 1. This resistance is part of a broader reluctance to accommodate disabilities in scientific environments. Joey's story began after a life-altering accident that left her with a traumatic brain injury, leading to her reliance on a service dog 1.

They immediately said, oh, my gosh, you can't possibly bring a service dog into this environment. It's too dangerous.

--- Joey Ramp

Her determination to change these perceptions is not just personal but also a push for a more inclusive STEM workforce.

   

Policy Development

Joey's advocacy extends to developing policies for integrating service dogs in labs, a process fraught with obstacles. She shares how her journey into neuroscience was inspired by a book about a service dog helping a veteran with PTSD, which gave her hope and direction 2. Despite the challenges, Joey emphasizes that service dogs are highly trained and can adapt to lab environments, countering concerns about allergies and safety 2.

Allergies and fear are covered under ADA, and that is not a valid reason to deny a service dog access to anywhere.

--- Joey Ramp

However, the lack of universal guidelines means decisions are often left to individual universities, making the process inconsistent and challenging for handlers like Joey.