Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room [View All]

Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room

A guide dog for a visually impaired Bensalem man was kicked out of a local doctor’s office, but the doctor said she had the right to do so.

But, according to a lawyer and advocate for the disabled, the Lower Southampton doctor’s actions violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“You cannot exclude service animals except in very specific situations,” said Rocco Iaculla, an attorney with the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania. “Unless the animal is out of control or not housebroken or someone nearby has a severe allergic reaction, you must permit them in any area that the public is permitted. It has to be more than someone feeling uncomfortable with an animal present.”

Dr. Priya Punjabi argues that it is her right to determine who enters the property and that a large animal could scare or upset her patients.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/bensalem/doctor-bars-guide-dog-from-waiting-room/article_2bb1009f-5a51-5350-bb2f-6783c4767b5a.html