Equip for Equality, which is funded in part by a $20,000 grant from the Illinois Bar Foundation, was part of a case recently featured in U.S. News & World Report. The case involved whether an autistic boy in Villa Grove, Ill., could bring his service dog, Chewey, to school.

Margie Wakelin, an attorney who works with the Chicago-based Equip for Equality and who represented the Drew family, says that service animals are becoming more common as more is learned about the benefits that they can offer in assisting people with a range of mental disabilities—not just autism. "The animals allow the person to better segue into relating with other people," she says.

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