Service Dogs, Self-Advocacy & Life After Amputation with Stevia Walker

What are you actually allowed to ask someone with a service dog? Do service dogs need paperwork? And what happens when businesses get the rules wrong?

In this episode of We’re Not Stumped, Mike Bolland talks with upper-limb amputee Stevia Walker about service animals, disability, prosthetics, self-advocacy, and life after limb loss.

Stevia shares an encounter at a hotel where employees demanded documentation for her service dog and incorrectly assumed the dog was an emotional support animal. She discusses what people and businesses should understand about service animals and why these interactions matter.

Stevia also shares the remarkable journey that brought her into the limb loss community. After developing severe Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) following a 2021 car accident and subsequent surgeries, she ultimately chose to have her hand amputated in December 2023.

She talks about fighting to be heard by doctors, adapting after amputation, trying different prosthetic technologies, and participating in a clinical trial at UT Southwestern. Stevia also explains why there is no single prosthetic solution that works for every amputee—and how learning to advocate for herself has shaped her journey.

Organizations discussed:
Hands of Gratitude
Dallas Amputee Network

🎙️ We’re Not Stumped shares conversations about limb loss, limb difference, disability, advocacy, adaptive living, and the people who refuse to let circumstances define what’s possible.