#SERVICE ANIMALS

[hometoursandotherstuff]

#bees #service animals #other stuff

[calltomuster]

Disabilities exist in Star Wars. Period.

This post is dedicated to certain specific people who say they are not be able to reconcile service animals in Star Wars, especially Jedi, since the Force and technology exist. These people seemingly have never seen Star Wars, where disabilities not only exist but feature prominently in many cases — yes, even in Jedi. So let us prove them definitively wrong here.

From the very beginning, disabilities have existed in Star Wars. In fact, one could argue a feature of a disability is one of the most iconic things about Star Wars. Even people who aren't Star Wars fans, or who haven't seen the movies at all, know the sound of Darth Vader's breathing. Darth Vader -- Anakin Skywalker -- is unable to breathe on his own and needs to be constantly hooked up to a life-support system simply to stay alive. This in itself is an answer to the argument that the Force compensates for everything. Perhaps you might want to say it is the Force that lets him stay alive beyond what would kill someone else, but still it cannot take the place of functional lungs, or grow back missing limbs, etc. Anakin Skywalker is one of the most powerful Force-sensitives to have ever lived, and yet he can still be disabled and need assistance. (Also, because sometimes I see people making the argument that because of all the pain that Anakin is in, he should be forgiven for his actions, let me say this: Anakin Skywalker can be disabled and still be villainous and make choices that hurt untold billions of people. Being disabled does not absolve you of your bad decisions. Disabled people are people too, and all people make choices and that is what determines the kind of person they are. But that's another post.)

Another example of the Force not compensating for everything is Yoda. We see Yoda using mobility aids multiple times throughout the OT and the PT, from a cane to a hoverchair. He is known as one of the wisest and most powerful Jedi ever, and yet he still uses mobility aids. "Yeah, well," you say, "he still fights with his lightsaber and does all those flips, so that doesn't count." This is the same stupid argument that people make against ambulatory wheelchair users. Needing to use a mobility aid does not mean you need to use it all the time. Total paralysis is not the only thing that makes people need to use wheelchairs or similar mobility aids. Often, people are technically capable of walking or moving around or even fighting and doing backflips in Yoda’s case, but the amount of pain and decreased function that such actions would cause are not worth it except for short amounts of time or in dire circumstances. This does not make them less disabled, or mean that they are faking it. 

“Must be a Jedi thing,” you say. What about Chirrut Îmwe or Kanan Jarrus, who are both blind (or become so). The Force does not give them their sight back (aside from a certain final scene in Rebels). “It’s only for Force-sensitives, then,” you try next. Try looking at Saw Gerrera, who needs oxygen assistance and wears a pressurized suit over his body. Or how about 99, a disabled clone who helps in brothers and is commended as “a true soldier” upon his death? The clones are excellent examples, for that matter. Wolffe is missing an eye, Gregor has a traumatic brain injury, Echo uses extensive cybernetics to function, among many others. 

Maybe still you want to argue that sure, someone might have a limb chopped off or whatever, but technology has come so far in Star Wars that they're not really disabled. Hear me now when I say: having accommodations that help you function in everyday life does not erase a disability. Go back and read that a few times if you need to, because it’s important. 

Now, to be clear, I’m not at all saying Star Wars always has amazing disability representation. I know that’s not the case in many, many regards, and I will link below references that discuss it in more detail. But to say that something like a service animal does not belong in Star Wars is, frankly, extremely idiotic and ableist and ignores the long history of disability in the GFFA. Disabled people have always existed in Star Wars and other sci-fi/fantasy media and they always will. 

Further reading and other perspectives:

Disability in Star Wars

Blind Warriors, Supercrips, and Techno-Marvels: Challenging Depictions of Disability in Star Wars

How Star Wars: The Bad Batch delivers the disability representation the franchise needed

Twisted and Evil: Ableism in Star Wars

This post was written largely in response to a comment left on a fic in the Service Animal Boga AU, so if you would like to read fics about disabled Obi-Wan with a service animal, please consider supporting us there. :)

#i don't like saying this usually but please consider reblogging this post #i didn't think it needed to be written but apparently it does and i would like this message spread far and wide #also i wrote this in like 45 minutes while seething with anger so if it's incomprehensible or gets some things wrong i apologize in advance #star wars #anakin skywalker #obi-wan kenobi #yoda #obi wan kenobi #service animals #disability #ableism #star wars prequels #darth vader #ben kenobi #chirrut imwe #clone trooper gregor #clone trooper 99 #commander wolffe #kanan jarrus #sw rebels #sw tcw #sw tbb #sw meta #star wars meta

[cripplecharacters]

Hello! I sent in an ask ages ago about something similar but I wouldn’t doubt it’s been lost to time and things have been updated about the story anyway, so here we are✨

My setting has domestic foxes instead of dogs. They fulfill similar tasks to dogs, like working and companionship, and one of my characters owns a particular breed that is most often used as a therapy animal because it’s particularly empathetic and can calm nerves via magic. This character has anxiety due to forced isolation growing up, which is why they went for this particular breed, and the fox helps ground them and help when in distress. I’m not sure if I should write the fox as a service animal though, or if I should keep it as an ESA, and if I do go for the service animal route, do you have any resources for writing a psychological service animal?

Hello!! I love this idea. It's sort of up to you if you want them to be an ESA or a service animal. Both could definitely work! I'd read up on the differences (perhaps this chart would help) and decide what would work best for your character!

If you do write a service dog, I'd recommend looking at task lists (like this, or this one). Also, learn about the gear service animals wear and why.

It sounds like this is a fantasy setting. This gives you the ability to have fun with laws. What are the rules about service animals? Are most public places pet-friendly? Does magic make service animals more common?

There are a lot of wonderful people on Instagram and TikTok who have psychiatric service animals. Perhaps they have shared some helpful information!

-Mod Patch

#mod patch #anonymous #service animals #fantasy setting

[transfaguette]

i went to a store the other day that said “service animals welcome” on the door and like,

#ableism #service animals

[angelxd-3303]

I wonder how long it'll take for poor Wario to feel like a sixth wheel...

#traditional art #luigi #mario #waluigi #polterpup #mia the kitty #waluigi x daisy #he doesn't want to admit he has a crush #luigi ain't buying it #my au #service animals

[macgyvermedical]

Writing a fic about two people one of which is an EMT and the other has Vasovagal syncope, and anxiety causing them to pass out frequently. (They have a service dog)

I was wondering what (even if off-duty) an EMT or just a person in general would be supposed to do in one of the situations when they do faint? Right now they’re still strangers so they dont want to be super confrontational about it but do want to help.

Also possibly any tips on what the service dog would do?

A faint is a brief loss of consciousness caused by a very temporary loss of bloodflow to the brain, usually due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. The faint itself is not dangerous (once someone is lying on the ground the brain gets its blood back), but certain things that cause fainting can be, for example a heart rhythm change (some options include a-fib with RVR, PSVT, V-tach, heart block causing bradycardia) or severe dehydration. The fall itself can also cause injury.

The EMT's main goals would be to make sure the person was safe, make sure it was a faint and not a seizure or other cause of unconsciousness, figure out what caused the faint, and figure out if the person was injured by the fall.

To make sure the person is safe, they are probably going to roll the person into recovery position and put something soft under their head. That way if they throw up or jerk (which can happen sometimes with fainting), they wont breathe in puke or injure themselves further.

The biggest indicator that someone fainted and didn't have a seizure or pass out from another reason is the length of time they are unconscious. With fainting, it is usually less than a minute, especially if the person falls into a lying position. So pretty much they'd wait until the person woke up, and ask them if they'd ever fainted before and if they knew the cause. While it is possible to jerk a couple of times after falling with a faint, it is not the sustained tonic-clonic action seen in a seizure. That would vaguely rule out a seizure for the EMT. If the person didn't quickly wake up, the EMT would probably call 911 or their local emergency number.

In figuring out what what caused the faint, an EMT with no equipment is basically going to be able to take a pulse, determine if it is in the normal range and whether it is regular or irregular, and take other vital signs as able, such as respirations and skin temperature, color and moisture. They would also interview the person once they woke up, asking about what happened to cause the faint, if it has happened before, etc...

Now, a person who has a service dog is probably also going to have information about their condition on them, such as a medical alert bracelet or more detailed information in a pocket on the dog's vest, which an EMT would know to look for.

In figuring out whether the person was injured by the fall, they would feel around the head for any indentations or soft spots, and do a "primary assessment" or feel briefly across the rest of the person's body for signs of injury. Once the person woke up, they would also probably ask them whether anything hurt. Fortunately, a young person falling from a standing position likely is not going to have a spinal injury, unless maybe they fell with their neck directly on something like a low fence. An EMT would also know to look for this and assess how likely it was that this happened.

As for what the service dog could do, it depends on what it was trained for. Going off the service dogs trained for people with POTS, they could alert the person that they were about to faint, they could roll them onto their side once fainted, they could go get help/call attention if trained to do so, and they could help the person to stand if they needed assistance after waking up.

#whump reference #writing reference #service animals #fainting

[brettdoesdiscourse]

Another thing that doesn't get mentioned enough in the service dog discourse is that you're simply not entitled to another person's animal.

A lot of people complain about not being able to pet or interact with an animal they see out in public and claim that it isn't a big deal or it isn't distracting to service animals.

And let's just remove the entire service animal argument for a second.

Let's imagine (for the sake of the conversation) that you petting or interacting with this dog won't hurt a single thing.

"No, you can't pet my dog" and "please stop interacting with my dog" are not big deals.

It is not hurting you nor is it that hard to respect someone asking you to stop touching or interacting with their pet.

You're not entitled to touching or interacting with a stranger's animal.

And you seriously need to work on yourself if you're throwing a tantrum because you can't pet or interact with a random animal out in public.

#service animals #service dog #social #social discourse #discourse #brett does discourse

[autisticdreamdrop]

this user wants / needs a service dog

#our userboxes #userbox #userboxes #service animals #service animal #service dog #service dogs #edit #edits #disabled userbox #disability userbox #disabled userboxes #disability userboxes

[thepastisalreadywritten]

24 April 2024

💛🦮💛

#International Guide Dog Day #International Guide Dog Day 2024 #International Federation of Guide Dog Associations #guide dogs #guide dog services #dogs #service animals #legally blind adults #visually impaired #guide dog training #canine companions #24 April 2024

[justanotherstardrop]

this user wants/needs a service dog

#our userboxes #userbox #userboxes #this user #disability #disabled #disability userbox #disability userboxes #disabled userbox #disabled userboxes #services #service dog #service dogs #service animal #service animals

[spacefinch]

¿which pokemon would make the best service animals? (i think you’re the mutual best qualified to answer this question)

I think it depends on what kind of service you need!

Umbreon and Espeon: Guide Pokemon and/or emotional support, since both of them evolve with high friendship.

Sylveon would be good for regulating anxiety or panic attacks, since they use their ribbonlike feelers to calm others.

Chatot can mimic human speech, so it could be used alongside an AAC device for nonverbal Trainers.

For people who can't really use their hands, Pokemon such as Simisage, Simipour, and Simisear would be helpful.

Any of the canine Pokemon (Growlithe, Rockruff, Yamper, etc...) would be good "service dogs."

As far as types go, I think psychic-types and fairy-types would make the best service Pokemon.

Below is a full list of "service animal" Pokemon.

Jigglypuff

Wigglytuff

Meowth

Persian

Growlithe

Arcanine

Lapras

Eevee

Flareon

Jolteon

Vaporeon

Furret

Hoothoot

Meganium

Lanturn

Mareep/Flaaffy/Ampharos

Togepi/Togetic/Togekiss

Aipom/Ambipom

Umbreon

Espeon

Snubbull/Granbull

Delibird

Chansey/Blissey

Poochyena/Mightyena

Ralts/Kirlia/Gardevoir

Skitty/Delcatty

Absol

Turtwig/Grotle/Torterra

Buizel/Floatzel

Glameow/Purugly

Chatot

Riolu/Lucario

Leafeon

Glaceon

Snivy/Servine/Serperior (they can use their vines to grab things their Trainers can't reach)

Oshawott/Dewott/Samurott

Lillipup/Herdier/Stoutland

Purrloin/Liepard

Simisage

Simisear

Simipour

Munna/Musharna

Pidove/Tranquill/Unfezant

Swoobat

Leavanny

Gothita/Gothorita/Gothitelle

Deerling/Sawsbuck

Alomomola

Fennekin/Braixen/Delphox

Fletchling/Fletchinder/Talonflame

Skiddo/Gogoat

Furfrou

Espurr/Meowstic

Sylveon

Rowlet/Dartrix/Decidueye

Litten/Torracat/Incineroar

Popplio/Brionne/Primarina

Oricorio

Rockruff/Lycanroc

Rookidee/Corvisquire/Corviknight

Yamper/Boltund

Sprigatito/Floragato/Meowscarada

Fidough/Dachsbun

Maschiff/Mabostiff

Finizen/Palafin

Cyclizar

#pokemon #service animals #service pokemon #asked and answered

[thenoodlesadventures]

Hey guys!

I (and another irl friend) am working on putting together a website that overviews all of the individual state laws on service animals since there's a lot of variance (as always) that makes traveling hard especially if you have a SDiT

I'm reaching out here because we've been slowly chipping away at this for the better part of like 2 years? And it's taking more time than we'd like to get it going since we both run and operate our own businesses

If anyone is willing to help that would be very appreciated but also:

I'd love suggestions on the kinds of things that are really important for you to be able to find quickly!

We've decided to highlight the following info in a "quick view" and then everything else will be tucked into its own tab for that state:

SDiT covered or not

Animals that can be used as service animals

Owner training covered or not

Let me know what you guys think!

#dogblr #service dog #service animals #long term we'd like to expand to laws in other countries #but this will be a lot just to get started and keep updated #and keep funding #since it'll be a couple hundred bucks a year from each of us #quick sucks but also researching this stuff is a pain and legislation just isn't really accessible #so i really feel like this could help bridge that disconnect

[acti-veg]

If you against all types of horses working why are you then okey with dogs working?

I apply the same ethical principles to all animals, which of course includes dogs as much as it does horses. If you’d like to read a summary of my thoughts on workings/service animals more generally, you can find that here.

#ask #working animals #vegan #service animals

[cripplecharacters]

heyy so im writing a character that's blind and she uses a white cane, and during one of her missions (she's part of a spy ring) she's gonna get hurted and is gonna need to use a cane (a walking stick) permanently. so how would she act in this situation where she basically needs to different types of cane to keep her mobility? or do you have any other sugestion about what to do in this situation?

Hi! Thanks for asking.

In this situation, she would likely need to have two canes; both a white cane and a walking stick, used in different hands. The two canes are so different that one came can’t really serve both functions, so she’d need to have one of each. This would of course leave her without a free hand most of the time, so she may want to prioritize using backpacks more than other kinds of bags that would require a free hand. It may be useful to research the experiences of double crutch users to get more ideas for how she would manage things with no free hands.

Depending on exactly what her physical support needs are, she might instead use a guide dog that has also been trained for mobility assistance or counterbalancing. Most guide dog schools can provide some cross training on tasks for additional disabilities, though you will want to research mobility assistance dogs to see if the kinds of tasks a dog can do would be useful for her particular disability. If her particular needs will be met by mobility tasks, then it’s entirely possible to have a guide dog that is also trained in those additional tasks.

Using a guide dog that is cross trained for mobility support would solve the no free hands problem since it only requires one hand, but a guide dog is definitely a very different travel style from a white cane, so you will want to really think about if she as a person would want to switch to a guide dog travel style. It’s a very personal and individual choice, and one is not inherently better than the other, so the switch shouldn’t be made casually. It’s entirely possible that she would be interested in switching to a guide dog lifestyle, but it’s also entirely possible that she would much prefer to use her white cane along with another mobility aid, instead.

One other option could be to use a white cane with a wheelchair depending on the nature of her injury. It sounds like something like a walking stick or mobility assistance dog would be better based on your ask, but if there is more information that might make a wheelchair relevant, that can also be an option. It can be somewhat harder to use a white cane with a manual wheelchair, so many people prefer to use a power chair with a white cane, but a manual chair can absolutely be done if a manual chair would suit her lifestyle better.

If there are any blind and multiply disabled people or physically disabled people (especially those who use mobility assistance service dogs) who would like to chime in in the notes, please do!

Hope this helps!

— mod Lane

#mod Lane #guide animals #blindness #writing blind characters #blind characters #mobility aids #white canes #canes #wheelchairs #service animals #mobility assistance dogs #writing multiply disabled characters

[angelxd-3303]

awww i love your polterpup drawings!

*Unleashes pupper on you*

#traditional art #polterpup #my au #mario au #service animals #mia the kitty

[is-the-primate-vid-cute]

that person talking about parrots as service animals because they can 'talk'

just kinda made me think

if the lack of communication was the issue, why not just make a device that attaches to the service animals' vest that when pressed, it says something like

'hi, my name is [name] and i'm a service animal. if i've approached you alone, my human is in some form of distress and requires assistance. ' and then detailed instructions on how to help the person.

it's simple, and it can be more personalized for the person's situation, instead of an animal who only repeat a few words or phrases.

I think you're onto something but it needs to be vague/personalizable enough to encompass any potential situation with little to no effort Incase the person isn't responsive which would be tricky.

Idk I'm no disability/service animal expert! All I know is monkeys suffer in human homes and service monkeys do not differ.

#mod E #service animals