Valuing Diversity in Dietetics: Considerations for Service Dogs at School, Internships, and the Workplace

Abstract

Diversity has become an increasingly important topic within the field of dietetics to create a profession representative of the population it serves, capable of providing culturally appropriate patient care. Yet people with disabilities (PwDs) are often overlooked. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment.”1 In the United States, approximately 12.6% of the noninstitutionalized population lives with a disability.