Privileged Resolution 000801

..Title Honoring Canine Partners for Life for their work in assisting people with disabilities to maintain independence and encouraging business owners to recognize the necessity to accommodate individuals with disabilities and their service animals. ..Body WHEREAS, Canine Partners for Life was formed to increase the independence and quality of life of people with mobility impairments by providing professionally trained service dogs and support services; and WHEREAS, Canine Partners for Life places service dogs to assist individuals with mobility impairments, service dogs that focus on seizure alert assistance, home companion dogs, and residential community companion dogs; and WHEREAS, service dogs dramatically reduce the number of paid and unpaid assistance hours needed from others due to the 24 hour assistance that service dogs can provide; and WHEREAS, service dogs can assist an individual with a disability with a myriad of tasks including retrieval of items, placing and removing items of clothing on an individual and opening doors; and WHEREAS, by assisting an individual with many physical tasks, service dogs make it possible to achieve greater independence; and WHEREAS, doctors, veterinarians and physical therapists recognize that the need for service dogs for people with disabilities; and WHEREAS, under federal and state legislation individuals who utilize service dogs are protected against discrimination; and WHEREAS, Canine Partners for Life through its community education program educates thousands of individuals annually in disability awareness and the vital role that service dogs play in the lives of people with disabilities; now therefore be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we honor Canine Partners for Life for their work in assisting people with disabilities in maintaining their independence; and be it further RESOLVED FURTHER, That we encourage businesses and places of public accommodation to recognize the necessity of allowing access to people with disabilities and their service animals to their places of business; and be it further FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to representatives of Canine Partners for Life as evidence of the sincere respect and deep admiration of this legislative body. ..End