A University of Rochester student has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the school claiming she was improperly barred from having a psychological service dog on campus to help her deal with severe depression.
| They wouldn't let me bring my thinking head dog, either. Damn them. |
Deborah Stamm, a part-time undergraduate student in her sophomore year, has major depressive disorder and insulin-dependent diabetes, according to the 11-page suit.
Stamm, who has been enrolled at UR since the fall of 2006, began suffering from severe depression in January. Her depression was so severe, according to the court papers, that by March she stopped going to classes and was often unable to get out of bed. "And when she was able to get out of bed she was unable to go to class and absorb what was being taught," according to the suit.
Stamm purchased the 2-year-old, 50-pound Labrador retriever named Obsidian from a pound in New Jersey and paid about $1,300 to board and train him, said Stamm's lawyer, Laurie M. Lambrix. The dog is trained to kiss and nuzzle Stamm if she shows signs of emotional distress and to bring her objects on command, Lambrix wrote in court papers.
Lambrix said Stamm gave UR officials letters from doctors and dog trainers in support of her request to live with Obsidian on campus. UR officials notified her by e-mail in August that her request was denied "because the university deemed the documentation ... insufficient to establish either that she had a disability or that the dog would be a reasonable accommodation for her if she were disabled," according to the suit.
Snip! |