SPRINGFIELD — A skating rink is at the center of controversy that’s now gone viral.
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A Fairborn mom brought her 6-year-old son, who she says is a Type 1 diabetic, to USA Skate Center to skate with a friend they went inside but when her child’s service dog tried to go in, it led to problems.
Andrea Galford told News Center7 she pulled her phone out to start recording about 4 minutes into the dispute about her son’s medical alert dog, Murphy.
Galford said the couple that runs the skating rink first said the dog wasn’t allowed in, then said they were allergic to dogs.
But she insisted on the tape that federal law does allow her to bring her son’s dog into any place the public is allowed.
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Their dog can tell when her 6-year-old son Keaton’s blood sugar gets low, avoiding potential loss of consciousness and seizure.
“So (Murphy) will be able to tell us that he’s low for us to give him a snack so we can keep on going,” Galford said.
News Center 7 spoke with a lawyer that specializes in Americans with Disabilities Act law who confirmed that.
“Anywhere that a member of the public would go as a customer,” Ben Mazer said.
Mazer says business owners say the dogs don’t have to wear a marked vest and business owners can not ask for documentation.
They can only ask two questions.
“Is this animal trained to help you or assist you in a particular task or work as it relates to your disability?” Mazer said.
News Center 7 reached out to the business owner who declined an interview. Skate USA posted the following statement on their Facebook page Wednesday. However the post, and social media account, have since been deleted. The following photo was captured Wednesday night before the account was deleted.
Galford told us she is just a mom fighting for her child not to be left out.
“As a mom, as any Mom, any individual with disabilities, children, you are going to stick up for your child,” she said.
More information about ADA laws can be found here.
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