Emotional Support Animals

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are animals that work, provide assistance or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provide emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. While ESAs are often used as part of a medical treatment plan as therapy animals, they are not considered Service Animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, they are viewed as a “reasonable accommodation” under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) in those housing communities that have a “no pets” rule. In other words, just as a wheelchair provides a person with a physical limitation the equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling, an ESA provides a person with a mental or physical health condition the same opportunity to live independently and would be seen as a reasonable accommodation for a person with such a disability in university housing.

To qualify for an ESA in UTSA housing, a student must complete the registration process in Student Disability Services, meet the federal definition of having a disability, and you have secured a placement in a UTSA housing complex. Individuals with disabilities who are requesting an ESA in UTSA housing must provide appropriate documentation that fulfils the associated documentation guidelines to the Documentation Review Committee in Student Disability Services. In addition, students may download and utilize the Emotional Support Animal Documentation Form to aid in the documentation review process or make sure that the documentation that is provided includes the following information:

1. Documentation must be from a physician, psychiatrist, social worker, or other mental health professional.
2. Documentation must articulate the need for the ESA based upon the student’s medical and/or mental health condition.
3. Documentation must indicate how the ESA alleviates one or more of the identified symptoms or effects of an existing disability.

**NOTE** Providing the aforementioned information for an ESA in UTSA housing does not automatically qualify students for any other type of accommodation at UTSA in the academic setting.

What is the difference between a Service Animal and an Emotional Support Animal?

Service animals are defined as dogs (or miniature horses) that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. The work or task a service dog does must be directly related to the person's disability. Service dogs (or miniature horses) may accompany persons with disabilities into places that the public normally goes.

An ESA generally provides assistance and/or emotional support to persons with disabilities who have a disability-related need for such support. While dogs are the most common type of ESA, other animals can also be ESAs. The animal need not be specifically trained to perform tasks for a person who suffers from a mental health or medical disability. Unlike a service animal, an ESA is not granted access to all places of public accommodation. As noted above, under the FHA, an ESA is viewed as a "reasonable accommodation" in a housing unit.

Service Animal/Emotional Support Animal FAQ