On Wednesday, December 8th, the Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs hosted the 2021 Governor’s Outstanding Leadership in Disabilities (GOLD) Awards at the Old State Capitol. The GOLD Awards is an opportunity for Louisiana to pay tribute to the achievements and dedication of individuals in the disability community.
You can watch the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BEZG5Y37nw
We are extremely happy to announce that Phoebe, service dog for DRLA Managing Attorney, Jonathan Trunnell, is the recipient of this year’s Service Animal of the Year Award! This award is given in recognition of a service animal who has exhibited exceptional assistance to a person with a disability.
Criteria:
• Pulls wheelchairs, carries and or retrieves things for persons with mobility impairments.
• Assists persons with mobility impairments with balance.
• Must be certified and qualified by an accredited institution.
• Both owner and service animal have demonstrated perseverance in facing barriers
An estimated 500,000 Americans with disabilities use service animals to help with functions of daily living. From the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) website: “Many people with disabilities use a service animal in order to fully participate in everyday life. Dogs can be trained to perform many important tasks to assist people with disabilities, such as providing stability for a person who has difficulty walking, picking up items for a person who uses a wheelchair, preventing a child with autism from wandering away, or alerting a person who has hearing loss when someone is approaching from behind.
…The ADA requires State and local government agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations (covered entities) that provide goods or services to the public to make “reasonable modifications” in their policies, practices, or procedures when necessary to accommodate people with disabilities. The service animal rules fall under this general principle.”
In Jonathan’s acceptance speech (on behalf of Phoebe), he states, “being a service dog teaches people, I think, how to be themselves. Because being yourself doesn’t mean saying or doing the first thing that pops into your head, being yourself sometimes means working very hard, and trying, even when it doesn’t come easy to you, to be there and to help those that matter most to you in life.
Sometimes that means fighting back on your reflexes and your instincts–finding each mean bone in your body and burying it in the yard. It’s just something dogs can do that educates and inspires people, that certainly helps me, not only to navigate the world, but to better understand myself.”
Phoebe has been working with Jonathan since 2011, when he adopted her as he moved from student housing to his own apartment after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law. Phoebe had been a foster dog, rescued by Delano City Animal Control and adopted through Copper’s Dream, a nonprofit dog rescue based in San Francisco whose dogs live in foster homes until they are adopted.
Jonathan selected Phoebe as a puppy, as she was especially calm around children and crowds. Fortunately, Phoebe proved to be a quick study as Jonathan trained her himself to perform services such as pulling out a chair for him to transfer to from his wheelchair, opening doors, and picking up objects. Phoebe also knows where they live, in case of a medical emergency. Though Jonathan can perform many of these daily activities, if he is even slightly injured or unable to perform these activities, Phoebe is able to help as needed.
As effective as Phoebe is in performing these services, Jonathan notes, “she is still very much a dog.” She is a medium sized, mixed breed dog (Jonathan is not entirely sure of her makeup) with an exuberant, yet calm demeanor, whose features include “adorable ears, and a readable face. She also has black nails, which gives her a bit of a goth look.” Phoebe’s favorite treat is a nice chicken neck, and every now and then the worst mischief she gets into is “stealing a stick of butter that’s left a little too close to the edge of the counter.”
Other 2021 GOLD Award recipients include:
Distinguished Merit Award:
Opportunities Academy of New Orleans
Patsy Barrett Memorial Award:
Karen Roy of Baton Rouge
Ken Vince Memorial Award:
Cody Reitz of Benton
Educator of the Year Award:
Rebecca Reeves of Haughton
Youth of the Year Award:
Owen Delatte of Thibodaux
Family of the Year Award:
The Barthe Family of Arabi
Volunteer of the Year Award:
Patricia Ehrle of Metarie
Direct Support Person of Year Award:
Shannon Edmond of Lafayette
Service Animal of the Year Award:
Phoebe Trunnell of New Orleans
Elected Official of the Year Award:
Representative Larry Bagley of Stonewall
Public Servant of the Year Award:
Amy Dawson (GOHSEP) of Baton Rouge
Service Provider of the Year Award:
Marliu Major of Baton Rouge
Veteran of the Year Award:
Chad Granger of Slaughter
This year’s ceremony also featured The Inclusive Art Contest, which enables participants to increase awareness of the importance of inclusion in today’s society through artistic expression. This year’s theme was “Accessibility of the Future.”
2021 Inclusive Art Contest Award Recipients
Lynette Fontenot Excellence in Inclusion Award
Trinity Williams of Pine Prairie
Adult Division
First Place- Bonnie Dempster
Second Place- Robert Biggs
High School Division
First Place-Trinity Williams
Second Place- Anna He
Middle School Division
First Place- Paisley Dempster
Second Place- Brooke Hardesly
Third Place- Zoe Mitchell
Honorable Mention- Tiffany Maddox
Honorable Mention- Andrew Thibodeaux
K-5th Grade Division
First Place- Randi Keys
Thank you to the Governor’s Office on Disability Affairs, and congratulations to all of the recipients of this years’ awards!
If you have questions or would like more information pertaining to service animals and your rights under the ADA, call us at 1-800-760-9905, or visit https://disabilityrightsla.org/get-help-now/.
