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- TO: Handicapped/disabled applicants seeking exemption for the Amateur Radio 13
- or 20 words-per-minute Morse code examination requirements as permitted by
- FCC Rules Section 97.505(a)(5)(i)(ii):
-
- Dear applicant:
-
- It is the intent of the FCC's allowance for exemption/credit of the FCC's
- Morse code examination requirement for the General, Advanced or Amateur Extra
- class license, that you are permitted to apply for exemption/credit if you are
- not able to pass the 13 or 20 WPM Morse code examination due to the severity
- of your handicap or disability. The FCC will not exempt you from the initial
- 5 WPM Morse code requirement, however.
-
- To begin, the FCC provides guidance to you and your Physician within the
- enclosed FCC Fact Sheet.
-
- Taking the FCCs guidance into account in considering the exemption/credit
- option, we hope that you have at least attempted to pass the examination using
- the new, more flexible, examination procedures announced by the FCC, which
- include:
-
- 1. Where warranted, we may now offer you a sending test (instead of a
- receiving test).
-
- 2. Where warranted, we may pause the tape for you to allow you to speak out
- what you have copied. Or, we can allow you the necessary time to write
- down what you have copied by pausing the tape after phrases/sentences; or
- in groups of words; or by individual word, or in extreme cases where
- warranted letter-by-letter.
-
- In most cases, the above flexibility will allow you to pass the Morse code
- examination on your own--therefore not requiring an exemption of the Morse
- code requirement because these procedures may have accommodated you severe
- handicap or disability.
-
- Attached is a Physician's Certification of Disability and Patient's Release
- form. After it is completed, you must submit this document directly to a VEC
- accredited VE Team (this may be the team who is administering your written
- exam[s]). As required by the FCC, you must currently hold at least a Novice
- license, or a license which conveys credit for having passed a Morse code
- examination element, and you must already have earned credit for the necessary
- written exams for either the Technician (Element 3A) plus the General (Element
- 3B), Advanced (Element 4A) or Amateur Extra class (Element 4B).
-
- In order for your Physician's Certification to be accepted for
- exemption/credit by a VE Team, we recommend that you review the following
- check list to ensure that your certification will be acceptable:
-
- * The Physician's Certification must be completed by both your Physician as
- well as by you.
- * The completed Physician's Certification (made by Medical Doctors or Doctors
- of Osteopathy, only!) contains an original Physician's signature in original
- penmanship. The signature is not a signature stamp, nor is it a photocopy.
- * The certification must be dated by the Physician.
- * You already hold, or intend to take at the session, the necessary written
- elements required toward an upgrade.
-
- If your Physician's Certification meets the above requirements, then your
- request must be presented to an ARRL/VEC VE Team with a check or money order
- in the amount of $5.25 for 1991 or $5.40 for 1992 (our standard processing
- fee). Only VEC-accredited VE Teams may process your request because they must
- provide you with a CSCE indicating that you have been given Element 1C
- exemption/credit for presenting your correctly-completed Physician's
- Certification.
-
- If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the ARRL/VEC. The
- number is: (203)-666-1541. Our address is: ARRL/VEC, 225 Main Street,
- Newington, CT 06111.
-
- 73,
-
- Bart J. Jahnke, KB9NM
- Manager, ARRL/VEC ARRL/VEC 11/91
- INSTRUCTIONS TO THE DOCTOR
-
- You have been presented with these instructions and certification form for the
- purpose of certifying to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that the
- patient under your care will not be able to pass the required 13 or 20 words-
- per-minute Amateur Radio Morse code examination because the patient suffers
- from one or more severe handicap(s) in accordance with Section
- 97.505(a)(5)(i)(ii) of the FCC Rules.
-
- Since you may not be aware of what the examination entails, here is a
- description of the examination and the allowable procedures for examining
- someone who has one or more severe handicaps or disabilities. (See also the
- attached FCC Fact Sheet).
-
- The Morse code is usually presented via audio as a series of dot and dash
- sequences sent at a particular speed. Other types of presentations include
- flashing lights and/or a tactile pad. The dots/dashes translate into
- individual characters of the alphabet; numbers 0-9; punctuation involving the
- period, comma, question mark, fraction bar (/); and three procedural signs
- made up of two-letter combinations. For example, the letter "A" in Morse code
- is dot-dash; the number "1" is dot-dash-dash-dash-dash and the period "." is
- dot-dash-dot-dash-dot-dash.
-
- The applicant is required to communicate to the examiners information
- regarding the content of the Morse code message that is presented in the
- examination. The reasons a person might not be able to pass the test include
- audio/visual input processing disorders, the inability to communicate the
- information which has been comprehended, or other similar difficulties. On
- the preceding page is an FCC Fact Sheet which will provide you with additional
- information.
-
- The FCC makes flexible procedures available to the examiners in order to allow
- the patient to convey the translated Morse code information to the examiners.
- The examiners may write for the patient--if the patient cannot do so. The
- examiners may allow the patient to send the Morse code (in dot dash sequences)
- instead of having the patient listen and translate [this is especially helpful
- for hearing impaired patients]. The examiners may pause the Morse code exam
- audio tape recording so that the patient may keep up with the pace of the
- exam--where warranted the tape may be paused in groups of words, sentences or
- phrases; or after each word; or after each character.
-
- We are looking to you as the expert to certify that the patient will not be
- able to participate in the examination process. Be aware that medical
- information as it pertains to the handicap or disability must be made
- available to the FCC upon their request as authorized by the patient's signed
- release.
-
- Note that you may only make this certification
- if the duration of your patient's handicap will
- extend for more than 365 days beyond the
- certification date.
-
- Only this format is acceptable by the FCC, so please complete (fill in the
- blanks) this form as indicated.
-
- Your certification must be returned to the patient who will present it to the
- examiners so that it may be forwarded to the Federal Communications
- Commission.
-
- Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
-
- Sincerely,
-
- American Radio Relay League
- Volunteer Examiner Coordinator Office
-
-
-
- ARRL/VEC - 225 Main Street - Newington, CT 06111 (203) 666-1541 ext. 251 11/91
- PHYSICIAN's CERTIFICATION
-
- TO: Applicants seeking exemption for the Amateur Radio 13 or 20 words-per-
- minute Morse code examination requirements as permitted by FCC Rules
- Section 97.505(a)(5)(i)(ii):
-
- The following Physician's Certification and Release form must accompany your
- FCC Form 610 license application when you attend a VEC test session. This
- fill-in-the-blank format was provided by the FCC.
-
- This certification must be made by your physician. The Physician's signature
- must be made in original penmanship. The signature may not be a copy or
- signature stamp. If the certification is not completed following these
- instructions, the application will be returned to the applicant.
-
- _______________________________________________________________________________
-
- PHYSICIAN'S CERTIFICATION OF DISABILITY
-
-
- Physician's Name______________________________________________
-
- Physician's Address___________________________________________
-
- ___________________________________________
-
- Office Telephone Number (______)______________________________
-
-
- I certify that _______________________________________ is severely
- handicapped, the duration of which will extend for more than 365 days beyond
- the date of this certification. Because of this severe handicap, this
- individual is unable to pass a 13 (or 20) words per minute telegraphy
- examination for an amateur operator license.
-
- I am licensed to practice in a place where the amateur service is regulated by
- the Federal Communications Commission as a doctor of medicine (M.D.) or a
- doctor of osteopathy (D.O.).
-
- WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS ARE PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND IMPRISONMENT. U.S.
- CODE TITLE 18, SECTION 1001.
-
- ________________________________________ (M.D. or D.O.) Date: ______________
- (Signature of Physician) Stamp unacceptable
-
- ______________________________________________________
- Physician's name (typed or printed)
-
- PATIENT'S RELEASE
-
- Authorization is hereby given to the physician named above, who participated
- in my care, to release to the Federal Communications Commission any medical
- information deemed necessary to process my application for an amateur radio
- license.
-
-
- ______________________________________________________
- (Applicant's Signature)
-
- ______________________________________________________
- Applicant's Name (typed or printed)
-
- *EOF
-
-