When
Friday June 5, 2015 at 9:00 AM CDT
-to-
Saturday June 6, 2015 at 4:00 PM CDT
The Continental Restaurant and Banquet Hall
788 S. Buffalo Grove Road
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Add to Calendar
Service Dog Education and Awareness Conference
On June 5, and 6, 2015 Operation Fetch will hold a workshop for first responders, mental health professionals. community leaders, business owners, community advocates and educators. The purpose of the event is to educate police, fire and public regarding laws, regulations and procedures concerning service dogs and their handlers.
Attendees will learn to educate and advocate in their own businesses, towns or agencies for ADA compliance and conflict free access for people with visible and invisible disabilities. And professionals will better understand how and when to refer a client for service dog, emotional suppport dog or companion dog assistance.
To date, we have an impressive list of proposed speakers who will lend their time and considerable talent at the event to include:
Dr. Laurel Braitman: Dr. Braitman is a science historian, writer, and a TED Fellow. She is also an affiliate artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts. Laurel has a PhD in the history of science from MIT and has written for a variety of publications. She is the author of Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves, which was published in June 2014 by Simon & Schuster.
Vicki Topaz: Vicki is based in San Francisco and will be presenting her Short Documentary HEAL!....Which she made in collaboration with Operation Freedom Paws and Mary Cortani.
Vicki's work has been on Exhibit World Wide. She has lectured about her work at the University of California, Berkeley, the San Francisco Art Institute, and De Anza College, Cupertino, CA. She is a co-founder and board member of PhotoAlliance, a NPO dedicated to presenting contemporary photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond.
Ms Topaz has volunteered her time and talent to be the Photo Journalist for the Conference.
Sister Pauline Quinn: "I started the first prison dog program where inmates are training dogs to help the handicapped in Washington State back in 1981 and started the prison dog program in many states.. from Maine to Washington state.. to California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and many other states and also in Argentina...." She's the subject of the movie Within These Walls. It starred Ellen Burstyn and Laura Dern. "Imprisoned after a drug arrest and bitter from a life marred by tragedy, Joan Thomas wants nothing to do with the world around her. But when a nun with a tragic past invites Joan to participate in an inmate rehabilitation program-training dogs to care for the handicapped-she experiences the freeing power of unconditional love for the first time."
Dr. Margaret Glenn: Dr. Glenn is the chair of the Department of Rehabilitation at the University of West Virginia. She also works closely with the prison training program at the federal facility in Morgantown West Virginia that trains canines for veterans with mobility and PTSD issues. She also works with agencies on access for service dogs in the workplace.
Raine Ray: Attorney at Law, 30 plus years dog training. 20 plus years police K9 training. First responder training and multiple FEMA courses. Handled two certified therapy dogs. Cadaver Dog handler and trainer. Certified Disaster Stress Relief Team. Field training for first responders and FEMA.
Lon Hodge: Lon,"Veteran Traveler," is a former military officer and professor of psychology that works closely with the Disaster Shelters Relief Foundation and Operation Fetch. He and Gander, the AKC national hero service dog of the year, travel the country giving seminars on service dog awareness, PTSD and ADA regulations an doing Planned Acts of Community Kindness (PACKS) with their social media community of some 400,000 followers.They have worked with businesses, police and fire and organizations small and large to create a barrier and stress free environment for service dog handlers and especially veterans and victims of trauma.
Lisa Hartman, MSW, CADC: Lisa is a social worker and substance abuse counselor with over 25 years of experience working in the mental health field. She has worked in a variety of settings from inpatient treatment to public education. Lisa is committed to getting therapy dogs and service dogs to those who need them. Her volunteer work includes multiple crisis response networks, the Community Crisis Response Team and working with shelter dogs. She also volunteers as a trainer for the Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dogs. These dogs have worked closely with police and fire departments around the country to aid in disaster response. Currently Lisa is working to improve legislation in Illinois to support service dogs, their handlers and trainers as well as disaster response dogs.
Lynne Emerson: Lynn is a service dog advocate and educator in Boston, Massachusetts. She and a member of the Boston Fire Department will be on hand to teach first responders actual techniques and interventions required when transporting, arresting or assisting anyone with a service dog.
Jeff Deschenes
Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician: Jeff has been a career Firefighter/EMT for the past fifteen years. He is currently the EMS Education and Training Officer for the North Andover Fire Department in Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Science Administration from Salem State University. He is also a certified EMT Instructor Coordinator and State Practical Examiner through the Massachusetts Office of Emergency Medical Services. Jeff has been active in the field of Pre-Hospital Care for over twenty-four years in directly providing patient care. He sits on the following committees: Essex County Fire Chief’s Association EMS Division, Northeast Emergency Medical Services Pre-Hospital Care Committee and the Professional Firefighter’s of Massachusetts EMS Committee. He has been instrumental in assisting Lynne Emerson with the development of her Service Dogs & EMS Program. Jeff is also a member of the National Association of EMS Educators. He has been recognized in the past by the Greater Lawrence Exchange Club as Firefighter of the Year and the American Red Cross with the Lifesaving Award of Merit for the Professional Rescuer. Jeff resides in Haverhill, Massachusetts with his wife Kathy and is the father of two children, one being diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. He has first-hand experience with children with disabilities and realizes the importance of educating first responders in their responses to calls for those with special needs.
B. Jean Meade, DVM, MD, PhD: Dr. Meade is faculty at West Virginia University, researcher at the National Institute of Occupational Health and owner of Cheat Lake veterinary hospital. She also coordinates the Morgantown, Federal Correctional Institution's canine training program that supplies dogs to wounded veterans after being trained by inmates at the prison.
Proclamation requests have been sent to several city officials. Buffalo Grove, Illinois has already proclaimed June 5th as "Service Dog Education and Awareness Day." We will hold our conference in Buffalo Grove.
Topics to be discussed by recognized authorities in research, training and access advocacy:
- Types of Service Dogs and their training
- Mental Health Considerations:
- Visible and Invisible Injury and Canine Assistance
- Service Dogs as an adjunct to therpay
- PTSD, C-PTSD and generalized anxiety psychiatric service animals
- Why your client does not need a service dog
- Differences between Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals
- Assistance Training Organizations and Support Resources
- The Human Canine Connection and the healing power of assistance dogs
- Workplace Access Issues
- Efficacy of Service Dogs
- The VA problem and ADA non compliance
- ADA Laws and implementation
- State Laws
- Township Laws
- Local and DOJ level complaint procedures
- How to recognize and deal with real and “fake” service dogs and what to do to avoid litigation
- First Responders: What to do in the case of an emergency when service dogs are involved
- Conflict resolution for businesses and first responders
- The service vest mills, how they exploit the laws and how to respond
- Special considerations for veterans with PTSD service dogs
- More TBA
Operation Fetch is a 501c3 Organization and a division of the Disaster Shelters Relief Foundation
CEUs for teachers and mental health professionals will be available. You may sign up at the door.
JOIN US!!!
Register Now! Hotel Information sent by separate email once you have registered.
Cost of the rooms will be $79 plus tax
Conference fees are on the next page