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After having some issues with local WalMarts, despite the recent lawsuits
and changes in policy, and knowing numerous Disabled Individuals that have
had the same issues, this is posted here to inform the General Public and
the Disabled Community the Corporate Polices of WalMart regarding Service
Animals.
Service Animals For People With Disabilities Policy
This policy applies to all associates who work for Walmart, or one of its
subsidiary companies, in the United States ("Walmart"). Walmart policy is
committed to making reasonable modifications to its policies, practices, and
procedures to permit the use of service animals by its customers with
disabilities. Service Animals play an important role in ensuring the
independence of people with disabilities, and it is therefore our policy to
welcome into our stores any animal that is individually trained to assist a
person with a disability.
What Is A Service Animal
Service Animals are individually trained to work or perform tasks for
individuals with disabilities. Service Animals are not always dogs; other
animals may assist people with disabilities. Service animals come in all
breeds and sizes, may be trained either by an organization or by an
individual with a disability, and need not be certified or licensed. Service
Animals do not always have a harness, a sign, or a symbol indicating that
they are Service Animals. A Service Animal is not a pet. Service Animals
assist people with disabilities in may different ways, such as:
Guiding people who are blind or have low vision and retrieving dropped
objects for them;
Alerting people who are deaf or hard of hearing to sounds and the presence
of others;
Carrying and picking up items, opening doors, or flipping switches for
people with disabilities who have limited use of hands or arms, limited use
of their legs, or limited ability to bend or stoop;
Pulling wheelchairs; alerting people with disabilities to the onset of
medical conditions such as seizures, protecting them and cushioning them if
they fall and reviving them.
Doing work or performing tasks for persons with traumatic brain injury,
intellectual disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities, such as reminding a
person with depression to take medication or waking them up, helping people
with traumatic brain injury to locate misplaced items, or follow daily
routines.
Providing physical support and assisting people with physical disabilities
with stability and balance.
People Greeter Responsibilities
Walmart welcomes customers with service animals. People Greeters are the
Walmart associates responsible for determining if an animal is a service
animal. Most of the time, people with disabilities who use service animals
may be easily identified without any need for questioning. If you can tell
by looking, you should not make the customer feel unwelcome by asking
questions. If you are unsure whether an animal meets the definition of a
service animal, one People Greeter, and, where necessary, a member of Store
Management may ask the customer only one question: Is this a service animal
required because of a disability? If the customer says yes or
otherwise explains that the animal is required because of a disability, you
should welcome the person and service animal into the store. Do not ask any
further questions about the customer or his or her service animal. You may
not ask a customer questions about his or her disability. You may not ask a
customer to show a license, certification, or a special ID card as proof of
their animal's training.
You must permit service animals to accompany customers with disabilities to
all areas of our stores normally used by other customers. All Associates'
Responsibilities Regarding Service Animals Once a customer with a service
animal has passed the People Greeters and entered the store, no associates
may ask the customer any further questions about his or her service animal.
You must permit service animals to accompany customers with disabilities to
all areas of the store normally used by customers. This includes areas
of the store that contain food. Treat customers with service animals with
the same courtesy and respect that Walmart affords to all of our customers.
Service animals are not pets. Do not interfere with the important work
performed by a service animal by talking to, petting, or otherwise
initiating contact with a service animal. If you have a concern about an
animal in a store, contact a manager or assistant manager. Only a manager
(or in the absence of a manager, an assistant manager) can make the decision
to exclude a service animal, except in the unusual circumstance where a
service animal's behavior requires immediate action to prevent injury to
others and there is not enough time to contact a manager. Manager
Responsibilities in the event that a particular service animal's vicious
behavior poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others, the
service animal is acting out of control and the owner does not take action
to correct its behavior, or in the unlikely event that Walmart can
demonstrate that a particular service animal's conduct fundamentally alters
the nature of the store's business, Walmart has the right to exclude the
animal from a store at that time. Barking alone is not a direct
threat. In addition, a direct threat does not exist if the service
animal's owner takes prompt, effective action to control the animal.
Moreover, Walmart will not exclude a particular service animal based on past
experience with other animals or based on fear that is not realted to a
service animal's actual behavior. Each situation will be considered
individually. In the event Walmart excludes a service animal, it may not
refuse service to the individual with a disability when he or she is not
accompanied by that particular service animal. In a store where a People
Greeter is not present, a manager or assistant manager may ask the People
Greeter question identified above.
Questions/Inquiries/Complaints
Customers can make complaints about improper treatment of customers with
service animals by calling 1-800-963-8442. People with disabilities have the
right to be accompanied by service animals in Walmart stores under the
American with Disabilities Act, and Walmart considers interference with or
denial of this right to be a serious violation of company policy. Walmart
will promptly investigate all complaints raising this issue and will take
appropriate disciplinary action when associates fail to comply with this
policy. The link to Walmarts Corporate policy regarding service
animals...Under Title III of the Americans With Disabilities Act SETTLEMENT
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND WAL-MART STORES, INC
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