Hi Tom,
Benetech is not a medical provider and thus the Bookshare sign up process is
much more reasonable. Handiham isn't, or at least shouldn't be, a medical
provider either. But I think we've already had this discussion last year
about the requirements associated with Handiham's being associated with a
rehabilitation agency and the merits or lack thereof.
I guess different people need different things. I don't need someone to
take care of me from a medical standpoint when it comes to my participation
in amateur radio, or in about 95 percent of the rest of my life for that
matter. I just need and want to have greater access to all that my hobby,
or the things in the rest of my life, has to offer.
I think I can certainly accept and understand more rigorous paperwork
requirements for activities such as Radio Camp participation, but, even
then, I'm a big boy and can take care of my self and meet my own medical
needs. I would attend for the purpose of meeting others and participating
in the hobby, which is most certainly not medical in nature.
I guess there is a medical and a nonmedical approach to dealing with people
with disabilities and I choose the nonmedical one. If I need medical help,
I see a doctor! Otherwise, I'd prefer that the medical aspects of my
disability be left out of the equation as much as possible.
In any event, I don't think HIPAA rules demand that Handiham's application
process be as inaccessible as possible. I suspect there is some room for
accomodations.
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2005 11:07 AM
Subject: Re: Revisiting accessible amateur radio study materials.
> Darrell, that's a question you'd have to take up with the Federal
> Government
> folks. Being a clinician I can tell you that when anything vaguely
> meedical is
> involved at a facility paperwork which you would not believe becomes a
> requirement. The patient/client only sees the tip of what actually goes
> on but
> because Handi-Hams is a part of a facility with medical aspects to it
> there is
> simply no way to avoid the system as it is. Very specific paperwork is
> REQUIRED
> and it must be done in a very SPECIFIC way to meet those requirements.
> Remember
> that the U.S. government is exempt from having to comply with the ADA,
> section
> 504, etc.
>
> Tom
>
>
> Tom Brennan KD5VIJ, CCC-A/SLP
> web page http://titan.sfasu.edu/~g_brennantg/sonicpage.html
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