A revised taxonomy of assistance animals [2013]

Details

• Personal Author:
  Foreman A ; Meade BJ ; Parenti L ; Wirth, Oliver
• Description:
  The use of animals in various assistive, therapeutic, and emotional support roles has contributed to the uncoordinated expansion of labels used to distinguish these animals. To address the inconsistent vocabulary and confusion, this article proposes a concise taxonomy for classifying assistance animals. Several factors were identified to differentiate categories, including (1) whether the animal performs work or tasks related to an individual's disability; (2) the typical level of skill required by the animal performing the work or task; (3) whether the animal is used by public service, military, or healthcare professionals; (4) whether training certifications or standards are available; and (5) the existence of legal public access protections for the animal and handler. Acknowledging that some category labels have already been widely accepted or codified, six functional categories were identified: (1) service animal; (2) public service animal; (3) therapy animal; (4) visitation animal; (5) sporting, recreational, or agricultural animal; and (6) support animal. This taxonomy provides a clear vocabulary for use by consumers, professionals working in the field, researchers, policy makers, and regulatory agencies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Assistance Dog Author Keywords: Assistance Animal Nomenclature Public Access Rights Service Animal Service Dog Support Animal Taxonomy Therapeutic-agents Therapy Animal Vocabulary

  More +
• ISSN:
  0748-7711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  50
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043254
• Citation:
  J Rehabil Res Dev 2013 Oct; 50(6):745-756
• Contact Point Address:
  Oliver Wirth, PhD; CDC/NIOSH HELD, 1095 Willowdale Rd (MS 2027), Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  owirth@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b8441d5eb361a873d316cead9af819d041a453f4ff69eff256d647e8eef7963401868ddb4bb278bf58a57ececacda1830716a40995bd05f5d1f2052de9d6b7cb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195194/cdc_195194_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 302.20 KB ]