Register now and watch this webinar live or later on demand.  See below for details.

DESCRIPTION: Service dogs are trained to help individuals with disabilities with specific tasks or duties. For autistic individuals these may include providing deep pressure to help with self-regulation and head off overwhelm, reminders to engage in self-care, or alerts or interruptions to symptoms (such as anxiety attacks or self-directed behavior).

Because service dogs are defined by the ADA as assistive equipment, disabled individuals have legal access to public spaces when accompanied by their service animal. Emotional support animals (ESAs) are not afforded the same rights. This webinar provides more information on the differences between service dogs and ESAs, but focuses on training service dogs. 

This webinar answers the following questions:

• How can you tell if your current pet is a good candidate as a service dog?
• How can you tell if you would be a good service dog trainer?
• What should you keep in mind if you plan on purchasing or adopting a dog and plan to train them as a service dog?
• What are the pros and cons of training your own service dog versus applying for a trained service dog from a program?

During the last 20 minutes of the webinar, the audience will be able to ask questions via the Zoom chat function.

SPEAKER: Sharon Wachsler knows service dog owner training from the inside out. Sharon trained her first service dog for herself in 1998, at a time when few people knew about service dogs that weren’t guide dogs for the blind. Since then, training service dogs has been her life’s passion. Since 2014, Sharon has been the owner and head trainer of At Your Service Dog Training, LLC, Sharon and her staff provide service dog training services to disabled people and their families throughout the United States online, as well as locally in Hadley, MA. Sharon also mentors and consults with pet professionals on service dog and disability topics and provides education to business and community organizations on service dogs.  

AUDIENCE: This webinar is intended for adults who are or who suspect they are on the spectrum, parents, other family members, and partners of individuals on the spectrum, as well as professionals who support individuals on the spectrum.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 21, 2023

TIME: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET – This webinar will be recorded. If you are not available during the live presentation, registrants will receive the video link to access the recording of the presentation two business days after the session ends. Registrants can access the recorded presentation for 30 days.

WHERE: Online via Zoom

HOST: Michele Cantara, Neurodiversity Training Specialist, AANE

COST: $25 (AANE offers discounted admissions using the buttons below)

REGISTRATION: Advanced registration is required.  After you have registered you will receive a confirmation email. Registrants who do not receive the confirmation email should check their email spam folder. Registration closes 24 hours prior to the event. Early registration is highly recommended as many programs fill quickly.

REGISTER AT FULL PRICE $25

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REGISTER FREE $0

EVENT & GROUP INFORMATION: All AANE programming is currently online. The following terms are used for different audience specifications:

• “Open” events/groups may have different participants joining from session to session and “Closed” events/groups have the same participants for a set number of sessions.

CODES OF CONDUCT: Participants at AANE events are expected to act respectfully toward other participants and group facilitators. AANE reserves the right to deny admission to and/or ask individual participants to leave an event. For more information see FAQS.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT: The online platform for the event/program will be listed in the confirmation email from AANE. For assistance with Zoom, please visit the Zoom Help Center prior to the event to become familiar with the platform.

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