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An interview with Melissa Winkle: about assistance dogs.

Article Excerpt
Melissa Winkle, OTR/L works with children and adults with a variety of abilities in community settings and in private practice in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM. She coauthored the article "Embarking on the Future: People with Developmental Abilities Gain Vocational and Leisure Skills in Assistance Dog Training Program" for the American Occupational Therapy Associations' Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Section Quarterly. She is co-creator of an adult day habilitation program, which was featured on the NBC Today Show (December, 2006) and The Bark Magazine (June, 2007).

Melissa maintains an adjunct faculty position for the University of New Mexico's occupational therapy program. She is an assistance dog handler/instructor and serves as vice president of the board for Assistance Dogs of the West in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Melissa continues to develop a practice that offers people with a variety of abilities the opportunity to improve independent living skills, vocational skills, and opportunities with animals and nature in an integrated community environment. She is active in program development, assessment development, a variety of research, and is initiating efforts to implement third-party pay source coverage to include assistance dogs as assistive technology options.

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Melissa has a private practice called Dogwood Therapy Services, Inc. in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Vist the Web site at www.dogwoodtherapy.com or reach Melissa at melissa@dogwoodtherapy.com.

In this interview, she discusses the current, recognized assistance dogs and their various functions.

Michael F. Shaughnessy (MFS): First of all, how do you define an "assistance dog," and when did you first get involved with assistance dogs?

Melissa Winkle (MW): According to Assistance Dogs International (ADI), "assistance dog" is a category name for dogs who serve people with disabilities. Under the umbrella of assistance dog there are the following jobs that dogs can perform (for more information see the ADI Web site at www.adionline.org).

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