Dis/Ability:A Discussion on Creating More Accessible Employment for Disabled Assistance Dog Trainers

Tiamat Warda, ‘Dis/Ability: A Discussion on Creating More Accessible Employment for Disabled Assistance Dog Trainers’, talk presented at the workshop Assistance Dogs: Care and Interdependence, ICI Berlin, 24 September 2020, video recording, mp4, 27:09 <https://doi.org/10.25620/e200924_4

“Same old ding dong”: The impact of the initial lockdown in 2020 on Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind

Ireland found itself in a lockdown to combat the international spread of the SAR-CoV-2 virus beginning in March of 2020. This paper presents the initial impact that the initial lockdown and accompanying social distancing measures had on Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB). Twenty-eight interviews were conducted with twenty-six interlocutors, including IGDB staff and clients, professionals within the guide dog sector, and locals to Cork City, Ireland. Findings show that lockdown measures impacted the education and work-lives of the guide dogs and instructors. Guide dogs lived in temporary homes rather than in the center’s kennels, which seems to improve their relaxation and education. Although the instructors may have benefitted from working outdoors with canines, they encountered challenges while teaching clients and guide dogs. They also needed to motivate the canines more to find a purpose in their work which had come to feel like the “same old ding dong”, with most destinations closed. The clients, especially those who experienced their first class during 2020, felt the loss of connection and support offered in the group class pre-pandemic. Despite these obstacles, interlocutors managed these obstacles well and looked optimistically toward the future

Interspecies emotion management: The importance of distinguishing between emotion work and emotional labour

This paper presents the importance of the informed and nuanced distinction and use of the terms “emotion work” and “emotional labour” when referring to interspecies work. When emotional labour is acknowledged as a professional skill across species, two realities can be recognised and therefore acted upon. Firstly, it clarifies that emotional labour is performed by workers with formal jobs during working hours. By extension, the second reality arises, that emotional labour is a professional skill requiring preparation, education, and ongoing support. Using the terms emotion work and emotional labour muddies and weakens this argument. This paper rests at the intersection of emotion management and animal labour studies, two fields that have thus far predominantly run parallel, despite a critical need for their interdisciplinary engagement

Defining Terms Used for Animals Working in Support Roles for People with Support Needs.

The nomenclature used to describe animals working in roles supporting people can be confusing. The same term may be used to describe different roles, or two terms may mean the same thing. This confusion is evident among researchers, practitioners, and end users. Because certain animal roles are provided with legal protections and/or government-funding support in some jurisdictions, it is necessary to clearly define the existing terms to avoid confusion. The aim of this paper is to provide operationalized definitions for nine terms, which would be useful in many world regions: "assistance animal", "companion animal", "educational/school support animal", "emotional support animal", "facility animal", "service animal", "skilled companion animal", "therapy animal", and "visiting/visitation animal". At the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) conferences in 2018 and 2020, over 100 delegates participated in workshops to define these terms, many of whom co-authored this paper. Through an iterative process, we have defined the nine terms and explained how they differ from each other. We recommend phasing out two terms (i.e., "skilled companion animal" and "service animal") due to overlap with other terms that could potentially exacerbate confusion. The implications for several regions of the world are discussed

Defining Terms Used for Animals Working in Support Roles for People with Support Needs

The nomenclature used to describe animals working in roles supporting people can be confusing. The same term may be used to describe different roles, or two terms may mean the same thing. This confusion is evident among researchers, practitioners, and end users. Because certain animal roles are provided with legal protections and/or government-funding support in some jurisdictions, it is necessary to clearly define the existing terms to avoid confusion. The aim of this paper is to provide operationalized definitions for nine terms, which would be useful in many world regions: “assistance animal”, “companion animal”, “educational/school support animal”, “emotional support animal”, “facility animal”, “service animal”, “skilled companion animal”, “therapy animal”, and “visiting/visitation animal”. At the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) conferences in 2018 and 2020, over 100 delegates participated in workshops to define these terms, many of whom co-authored this paper. Through an iterative process, we have defined the nine terms and explained how they differ from each other. We recommend phasing out two terms (i.e., “skilled companion animal” and “service animal”) due to overlap with other terms that could potentially exacerbate confusion. The implications for several regions of the world are discussed