Hanif asks Masa Mehta about denial conversations and establishments

question for Mossom.

So thank you for sharing your testimony with us today and particularly about some of the experiences getting denied entry with your service dog.

Could you share what

What are, what's being said during those conversations?

And when you're showing maybe your, that this dog who's accompanied you is a service animal, what's the exchange?

Yeah, absolutely.

There's a couple different scenarios.

Just to clarify, there is no documentation for service animals and a business cannot ask you legally for that documentation.

I personally have an ID card that was issued from my guide dog school.

But again, that is a courtesy that is not required.

I usually show that just so they stop yelling at me.

But again, that is not something that is required.

Generally, I will, I'll get kind of a broad gambit.

The last time in recent memory, I was denied.

I went into a restaurant and I approached the counter to be seated and the hostess told me that

that I just needed to leave.

And I was a little confused as to what factor I was being asked to leave about.

But he specifically mentioned that he felt that the other customers at the restaurant would be uncomfortable with my service animal.

So unfortunately, they would not be able to serve me.

I was not able to

educate at the time in a way that he was able to, I guess, take in.

I did ask for his manager.

I'm suspicious that he didn't.

Actually communicate to the manager because he did come back and tell me the chef himself said that I also needed to leave.

So it was a bit awkward.

I think that generally also one thing that we have to think about here is

It might not be a conversation of, oh, you have an emotional support animal.

A lot of times the conversation is just no.

And that's it.

So what I'm hearing is a combination of restaurant management protocol with or without.

Justified reason, just kind of like just saying no, but then also this element of the other patrons in our establishment are uncomfortable.

So this combination of businesses not knowing that you don't have to provide documentation and that you are

allowed to be in their establishment with your service dog and also others who are in the restaurant not knowing that you are indeed allowed to be in that restaurant with your service animal.

So this like necessity of their needing to be broad public education

detailing what the rules are around this is absolutely clear from what you have just shared.

And so have there been establishments outside of restaurants that...

You or others in your community have experienced denials?

Yes.

Retail establishments.

I have been denied from several small local grocery stores.

I know that members of my community have been denied from shopping malls, movie theaters, public agencies.

You name it across the board.