helper monkey commentary

Good Morning,

This story first came to my attention last week when listening to one of my favorite podcasts the BBC Ouch Talk Show.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/podcast/

With typical dry British humor, the hosts (who have disabilities themselves) discussed the latest most outstanding disability news stories.

The Story: From KY3 News Springfield

http://www.ky3.com/home/video/65706592.html

A Missouri woman has been denied the use of her helper monkey. Debby Rose who suffers from anxiety and agoraphobia says she needs her helper monkey to assist her with daily living outside the home. The Greene County Health Department notified all public businesses that they may be in violation of health code should they serve Debby and her monkey at their establishment. Debby filed a lawsuit. The judge in this case has ruled that Richard is not a service animal…He cited Debby’s record has revealed a long history of adequate functioning and independent behaviors. She’s held jobs, raised 6 kids…had 3 marriages…

Oh yes, and Richard is required to be with her when she drives…

Although the verdict in this case is in, on a Monday morning I couldn’t help but provide my own commentary...

Let’s start with the restriction placed on her license. Richard must be with her when she drives. I have sympathies for the BMV worker who has to process this…(hapless woman typing) “restriction type A must wear corrective lenses…and operate under supervision of a monkey...hmmm"

Richard is a macaca monkey…in order for him to qualify as a service animal recognized under the law of the ADA there are two criteria:

He must have been a.) trained to perform specific tasks required for a major life activity and b.) trained to behave properly in places of public accommodation.

Here I would like to say pointing out the need to have a monkey supervise your driving is probably not your best bet…further revealing that he pulls hair and “pats” you in the face to bring you back does nothing to quell the very real fear of aggression…

My gut level feel is that I really want Debby Rose to have her monkey i.e., Richard. I’m just not sure of the distractions this may cause on the road. "Richard calms Debby Rose and alerts her to danger by pulling her hair when she slips into a panicked trance-like state..."

I can only imagine the harried commuter looking over at rush hour to see a gorked out woman with a monkey urgently pulling on her hair. It seems that this would be a bigger problem than cell phones…

Richard seems polite and well-groomed. Health department officials do not deny this but still they have moved forward to warn local businesses of possible sanctions should Debby Rose and her service monkey arrive at their door. Of particular concern is protecting the public from potential diseases monkeys are known to carry...like the often fatal Herpes B. I get this, I really do. I was aggravated yesterday at the gym when my request for a little hand sanitizer was granted with a stingy squirt the size of a a kiwi seed…I get the need to show caution toward potential outbreaks and believe me NO ONE wants herpes! BUT in the same light, I feel as if these authorities are trying to manipulate with fear...

Debby insists that Richard gets checked out regularly for infectious disease. When looking around Wal-Mart or holding my breath during a bathroom break at the local Quick Trip I’m not sure I can say this of most people. I’m willing to take my chances with Richard when we make our acquaintances that he will not revert to "Old World ways!" and attack with bites and scratches (i.e., primary route of transmission for “the Herp B” into humans)…I believe the lack of smiling and friendliness among human strangers is a far worse problem.

My point? Count me down on the side of folks not afraid to run into Debby & Richard out in public.

"The judge refuses to recognize Richard as a service animal. Has even gone so far to say Debby doesn’t need a service animal at all and she does not have a disability!!!"

As someone with a disability I say...Wow! now that’s a mouthful. In one respect, I admire that judge for having “the guts” to say all that...perhaps sharing the most un-PC thinking west of the Mississippi…

No in all seriousness, this is a serious issue. Is this someone seeking special pet privileges (which makes everyone with a disability look bad) or someone with a disability being denied reasonable accommodation?

This story has implications…What is left is to better define mental disabilities. How do we define and measure them? What specific tasks seem reasonable to perform? What constitutes discrimination?

Companion animals can they be trained or certified as service animals?
Companion animals are they different from pets and service animals?

Could I trade mitty in for a helper monkey? (oops, how'd that get in there?...)

Maybe to shed a final light on things let me share...

I fell this weekend and caught myself with my lip on an iron plant stand. Mitty quite clearly revealed that she is not a service animal. She is an amazingly gifted companion. As a friend pointed out to me, she even dances with me, BUT she did NOT perform a specific task…dialing 911 comes to mind. Instead, she did what any normal cat would do. She ran for cover and hid under the couch…and later licked the ice through the baggie applied to my face. In the broadest sense like Richard, Mitty might apply for "companion animal" status hmm, but I don’t think I could get her wear the little vest…No really,

Mitty is a cat. She does work…but it’s kitty work. At 4am she does pressure point release massage by standing on sore muscles…she also walks on bladders, licks foreheads, purrs in ears with kitty breath, chases “mice” (i.e. feet moving under the covers), and scratches on the couch with her soft claws to alert mental functioning. At about 11am she starts her second shift of kitty work which involves sleeping…until 4pm. At 4:30pm or 5 or whenever we return home…she bolts out the open door!!! And sprints back in when she hears the silly humans shaking a bag of treats.

According to the ADA, Richard is probably not a service animal, like Mitty he probably does not meet the stated criteria but does meet the definition of "companion animal"-- a dog, cat, or other pet that provides health benefits to a person.

According to Debby, Richard has been “trained under ADA guidelines,” but what these are exactly remain unclear. At present, there is no official “monkey college” or accredited curriculum he can pass to become a “certified helper monkey!”

I think this is necessary. Richard contains within his genetic make up natural aggressive tendencies. I would NOT want him to baby-sit my child or to be sitting next to Debby’s grandkids at a Chuck-E-Cheese party…before Richard graduated Summa Cum Monkey from Banana U...

Final analysis... more needs to be done. We cannot table this one or just consider it "monkey business." There needs to be some agreed upon standards of training, methods of regular testing for infectious disease, a universal helper monkey vest!, and a bigger dose of compassion and loving kindness.

okay, that's all for now. Happy Monday,

Amanda