ICAN Celebrates Successful ADI Accreditation
Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) has officially been re-accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI)! This milestone celebrates the passion, skill, and hard work poured into every dog trained, every client served, and every life changed through ICAN’s mission.
ADI is the global leader in setting standards for organizations that raise, train, and place assistance dogs. Its accreditation process ensures that an organization is ethical, responsible, transparent, and fully committed to training assistance dogs with evidence-based, humane methods. It is the gold standard—earned only by programs that demonstrate excellence in every part of their work.
For ICAN, achieving re-accreditation means ADI has once again affirmed that ICAN’s practices and programs meet the highest international standards.
Achieving accreditation is no small feat. Nonprofit organizations must first spend two years as candidate organizations before being eligible to apply for full accreditation. This process ensures that only well-established and ethically led organizations are considered.
The official accreditation begins with the submission of extensive documentation, policies, and records for review. From there, a trained ADI accreditation assessor conducts a multi-day, in-depth evaluation of every aspect of an organization’s operations. The review includes:
Assessment of the organization’s commitment to the dogs’ health and welfare in all care and decision-making processes
A full inspection of facilities to ensure safety, cleanliness, and proper care
Interviews with staff, clients, volunteers, and board members
Observation of training sessions with volunteers and clients working with their dogs in public
Detailed examination of procedures for raising dogs and training within a prison-based program
Review of criteria used to match dogs with clients responsibly
Review of the organization’s administrative procedures, including risk management, emergency procedures and safety regulations, business practices, written policies and procedures, and documentation
Assurance that every single ADI standard is being met
The commitment does not end there. Organizations must repeat the accreditation process every five years, meaning this achievement reflects ICAN’s ongoing dedication to excellence year after year.
That dedication is strengthened by the community behind it. Every donation, every hour volunteered, every puppy raised, and every person who shares ICAN’s mission play a vital role in making milestones like this possible.
Learn more about ICAN’s programs and the impact of assistance dogs by visiting icandog.org.
