A Big Ten Leadership Approach to Service Animal Policy Development in Higher Education

Abstract

There is a deficiency in scholarly research on higher education service animal policy that has created definitive gaps in how disability services office (DSO) directors approach policy development and how higher education institutions (HEIs) ensure access for service animal handlers. This qualitative research study aims to narrow these gaps by investigating the Big Ten Academic Alliance (Big Ten) DSO directors’ approaches to service animal policy development and exploring how federal and state legislation influence service animal policies. Participants in this study were five DSO directors from Big Ten institutions in the United States who participated in semistructured interviews. Findings reveal four themes associated with the approach Big Ten DSO directors take when developing and implementing service animal policies: (a) the influence of federal and state legislation, (b) transformational leadership, (c) social justice, access, and equity, and (d) involvement of institutional stakeholders in policy development.