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The Case Against Oregon |
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| Step #1 -- All new members should
send a request for accommodation letter. If you have already been denied,
please find your denial letter, and stand by for instructions on Step #2. |
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Crossbow and Draw-Lock archery accommodations for the disabled are illegal. Mouth-Tabs and Body Braces are allowed. Our
members should request, in Oregon, either a crossbow or Draw-Lock archery accommodation
when they write their letter. |
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| In order for disabled individuals
to hunt as equals in Oregon, we are asking the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife to approve the use of the crossbow and Draw-Lock archery
accommodation, and allow the
individual disabled person to decide which accommodation method best suits
his or her needs. |
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| The
first step in our complaint process is to formally ask the State of Oregon
to grant us the archery season accommodation that most reasonably suits
our individual needs. (The individual will choose the best of the four
reasonable accommodations for them)
Oregon
does not have any sort of disabled archer application -- thus,
we must mail them a request for accommodation packet, which includes: 2) The Coalition Universal Medical Form, proving that you are deserving of this accommodation. Each member should fill out their own Universal Medical Form (UMF), and have their doctor sign it. We will be using the same UMF for all states (so you only have to make one visit to the doctor). The UMF can be downloaded here. >>more>> 3) Any other documents you wish to attach which will help prove your disability, or your discrimination accusations. The 3 items above should be mailed to: Lindsay Ball, Director |
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| The first step in the complaint process is to
send a formal request for accommodation letter to the Oregon
Department of Fish & Wildlife. Hopefully, the State will get the message that we are serious about
this and accept our request. But should we be formally denied, we'll then have
grounds to go to the ADA. This section will provide you with information on what your Accommodation Letter should have in it. We also provide a sample letter for you to look at. * Your accommodation letter should have the following information: |
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| (a) Your full name, with mailing
address and telephone (plus area code). (b) The full name and mailing address of the state you are sending the letter to (available on the website). (c) What you are requesting -- In this case, you are asking for an accommodation to use a crossbow, or Draw-Lock during the archery season. (d) What is your disability? Be descriptive. (e) Why do require the use of a crossbow or Draw-Lock during the archery season? (f) Make note of any documents you have attached to this letter. Attachments can include the Universal Medical Form, a disability application from another source, a disabled archer permit from another state, and anything else which you believe will strengthen your case. The UMF can be downloaded here. >>more>> (g) Finish your letter by thanking them for their consideration and stating you await their immediate response. Important:
This is a
request, not a threat -- threats make us look weak. Remember to always act
professional. |
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| * Sample Letter: | |||||
| Note:
Use this letter as an example. However, you really should customize your
letter to match your own situation. May 1, 2003 John Doe Lindsay Ball, Director Dear Ms Ball: The following letter is a formal request to the State of Oregon asking you to grant authorization for me, John Doe, to hunt with a crossbow during the Oregon archery season. This accommodation is required to overcome my disability and allow me to hunt as an equal to able-bodied hunters. In 1989, I suffered a cervical injury that currently prevents me from safely operating a traditional bow. I have attached a form signed by my doctor which details the extent of my injury. Because of this injury, I have received lifetime disabled crossbow permits in Maryland and Virginia (also attached). I need to use a crossbow because I require the assistance of a cocking device to load my bow. Since Oregon does not currently distribute an application to receive a crossbow accommodation, please consider this letter as my application to you. I anticipate your immediate positive response to my request and thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, John Doe Enclosed: Medical form
signed by Doctor Smith |
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Now that Oregon is sending us letters rejecting
our formal requests for accommodation we will move to stage #2, filing the
actual ADA Discrimination Complaint. Filing this complaint is as easy as
downloading the ADA (Title II) complaint form below and emailing it to the
DOI. You should also download the "Supporting Argument" report,
but do not email this to the DOI. You will postal mail this report
once a case number and investigator have been assigned to you by the DOI.
Follow the instructions given and email Tom with any questions you have. The state will be given an opportunity to answer this complaint back to the Department of the Interior and, as it states on the complaint form, we reserve the right to respond to their answer. We will do this as a group. (Those of you that have not received your letter yet should not panic. It will be good to have these complaints showing up gradually to the Federal government.) The ADA Complaint Form below has been designed to be filled out on your computer. Please right-click the filenames, and go to Save As. ADA Complaint Form &
Instructions OR_ADA.rtf Supporting Argument
OR_Report.rtf |
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When the DOI receives your complaint, they will postal mail a letter to you.
This letter will list your case number and the contact information of your
investigator. At this point, you should now postal mail all of your
supporting documentation to your investigator, using the address listed in
the DOJ letter. Be sure to include a copy of the 11-page argument paper,
your request for accommodation letter to the state, the state's denial
letter, your medical information, and any other papers you believe will help
your case. Do not mail this additional documentation until after
you have received your case number and investigator info from the DOJ. |
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The
time will come when the Department of the Interior will ask you for a
rebuttal to the state’s response. This response will be furnished for all
members by the Coalition and any suggestions should be sent to Tom for this
response. Several members have been busy writing and editing a good response
to the government and welcome your suggestions. |
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| If you need help filing your initial letter, then please email us ASAP via Tom@disabledrights.org | |||||