This week, we celebrate Service Dog Awareness Week—and on Saturday, July 26, we honor the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark civil rights law that continues to shape the lives of millions of Americans.
At W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, these two occasions are deeply connected.
The ADA: 35 Years of Equal Access
Signed into law in 1990, the ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life: schools, workplaces, transportation, and anywhere the general public is allowed. It’s a promise of dignity, equity, and full participation.
But the ADA isn’t just policy. It’s deeply personal. It means a child with mobility challenges can go to school with dignity. It means a teen with autism can enter a grocery store, a restaurant, or a movie theater without fear of exclusion.
Service Dogs: Walking, Working Civil Rights
While ramps and elevators make buildings accessible, service dogs make life accessible.
Each W.A.G.S. 4 Kids service dog is specially trained to assist a child with physical, behavioral, or developmental challenges. That might mean providing deep pressure therapy during a panic attack, retrieving dropped items, or acting as a calming presence in chaotic environments.
The ADA guarantees these dogs the right to accompany their handler in public spaces. But the real power lies in what they make possible:
- Confidence in social situations
- Independence in daily routines
- Safety in unpredictable environments
- Connection between a child and their world
A Week to Reflect, A Future to Build
This Service Dog Awareness Week, we reflect on how far we’ve come—and how far we still have to go. At W.A.G.S. 4 Kids, we see firsthand the barriers families still face: long waitlists, lack of awareness, funding gaps, and misperceptions about disabilities.
But we also see what’s possible when a trained service dog is placed with the right child at the right time.
We see joy. Relief. Transformation.
How You Can Help
🧡 Educate: Learn more about the ADA and your rights—or share this blog to start a conversation.
🐾 Celebrate: Post about a service dog or person with a disability who inspires you.
🎁 Donate: Every gift helps us train and place more service dogs with children in need.
This week, we honor the paws that walk alongside progress—and the communities who walk alongside us.