http://www.facebook.com/pages/CFR-Mediation/271140287576
It seems that the Broken Arrow City Council has figured out a way to meet the needs of its resident while not changing the laws related to exotic pets.
The Broken Arrow City Council unanimously voted Tuesday night to create an exotic animal ordinance exemption that would allow Christie Carr to keep Irwin the red kangaroo within city limits under certain conditions.
Carr is unable to work because of her health and has found comfort in the companionship of Irwin, whom she met while volunteering at a local animal sanctuary on the advice of her therapist.
What is remarkable about this story isn’t just that her therapeutic animal is a kangaroo, it is remarkable that a city council has created an exemption based on Carr’s disability (depression) and the exceptional function/purpose of her therapeutic animal.
Recently in Chicago, a condo owner, Mary Jo Stevens, filed suit against her building association. According to the Chicago Tribune, Stevens, who has a long history of debilitating panic attacks, has found great relief through the use and constant companionship of a 10-pound therapeutic dog named Boo. She reports that in the 14 months she has owned Boo her panic attacks have decreased from multiple times a week to about once a week.
Unfortunately her building does not allow animals, and although they have allowed her to keep Boo, they have altered her use of the building.
It seems that the Broken Arrow City Council has figured out a way to meet the needs of its resident while not changing the laws related to exotic pets.
Those who suffer from psychiatric illnesses often find that their symptoms are dismissed or misunderstood since there is seldom a physical manifestation of the illness or symptoms. This does not mean that the illness and symptoms are less real or debilitating. Therapeutic animals of all types can be beneficial, and make a life that is intolerable quite livable.
Mediation can be an immediate means to address the needs of the disabled with the rules and regulations that affect everyone.
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Additional Reading
- Chicago Condo ADA Compliance Lawsuit
- Therapy Kangaroo OK in Oklahoma
- The Problem With Litigation
- Mediating Workplace ADA Compliance
- Who Wins? End Result In Mediation
- Prepare for Mediation
- Finding The Best Mediator
- Mediation Agreement Is Legally Binding
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Tags: ada, depression, disability, therapeutic animals
