Animals Serving the Handicapped

Mankind for centuries has been hiding or ignoring the less than perfect examples of its own species. Society has recently recognized this problem by undertaking goals to mainstream into daily life those people with special needs. This is evident by the appropriation of tax monies and public funds for the building of hospitals designed with special living quarters for the handicapped, for the development of equipment and prosthetic devices intended to normalize the appearance and abilities of the handicapped, for legislation and changing of architectural regulations to provide increased accessibility for the disabled, for providing attendant care and jobs for the disabled, and for changing the general public\u27s concept of the norm in regards to those with special needs. However in times of economic difficulties, advances in technological aids, accessibility, and general acceptance of the handicapped into society have been slow. Society is recently exploring ways in which animals can be specially trained to assist the handicapped in performing the daily tasks of qn independent life style. Here we will review the overall benefits of animals in improving the well-being of the handicapped, the specialized training received by such animals, and legislative regulations pertaining to the legal rights of disabled individuals using these specially trained animals