"N2EY" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith
writes:

On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 01:50:46 GMT, "Dee D. Flint" wrote:

A 5wpm code test does not discriminate against Americans with
disabilities.
Disabled people have passed while their unhandicapped brethren have sat
on
the sideline whining about the code.

Explain to me why a deaf person should now need to know morse code?

Deaf people have used Morse Code in ham radio.


Absolutely. To come to the conclusion that deaf people cannot learn and use
CW is rather narrow-minded in my opnion. I bet there's a way that ANYONE
could learn CW.

I believe the waiver has been removed from the licensing structure for
amateur radio, hasn't it? As well it should be. And, here's why: there are
deaf people who have passed a CW test and use CW. As soon as that happened,
it set a standard that deaf people can, indeed, learn CW--*if* they so
desire.

Remember that a handicap should never be considered as an excuse.


When the
silly horse and buggy test was rammed down their throats by the US
government
they could use lights. Now how is a deaf person supposed to use morse
code
sitting in their home listening to the radio?

Simple. They rest fingers on a speaker cone and feel the vibrations. It's
benn
done many times by deaf people. Just like many deaf people dance by
feeling the
rhythm the music through their feet.


First of all, I don't understand the transition from using lights to a deaf
person not being able to use CW. They *could* use lights--and I've seen it
done. They could also do as Jim describes above. They could also have the
volume up so loud on a speaker that it would vibrate the speaker box itself.
There's all kinds of ways and I bet an innovative deaf person will find
them. Necessity is the mother of invention.

For goodness sake! By your example, Keith, blind people should not be
licensed because, "how in the world would they know what frequency they are
on?"


Also, many deaf people have some limited hearing. It is not unusual for
them to
be able to hear single tones but not undersatand speech.

With modern digital
communications like PSK31, Pactor and RTTY a deaf person can enjoy ham
radio.

Hams have been using Baudot RTTY for almost 60 years....

And as always they can use a computer to decode morse code as they have
in
the past. But for them to learn morse code through some silly light
system is
pure discrimination because the deaf have no way of decoding morse by
ear.

Yet the various advocacy groups for handicapped people have never
protested the
amateur radio test regulations. Indeed, the group "Handi-Hams" was AGAINST
the
medical waiver rule change back in 1990, as I recall.


I've never understood a medical waiver. The only thing I've seen it do is
get people licensed for General and above, who have no business being
so--and who also, somehow, don't have a hearing deficiency of any type.


The morse code test for deaf people is pure discrimination and now that
s25.5 no longer requires a proficiency to know and send morse code the
FCC
better move fast to remove this discrimination.


Balderdash!!!! To expect that a deaf person cannot learn CW is
discrimination. You are insensitive to believe that discrimination means
inability.


If you're going to go that route, then all of the questions in the written
tests about voice modes have to go as well, because there's no way deaf
people
are going to use SSB, either. Take out the questions on PSK-31, RTTY,
etc.,
because blind people won't use those modes. Get rid of the Extra and
General
class written tests entirely because there are people who can't pass them,
but
who can pass the Tech written. And since FCC says the Tech test is
adequate for
all authorized modes, bands and power on amateur VHF/UHF, why is any more
written testing needed for HF beyond a few band-edge questions?


73 de Jim, N2EY

Kim W5TIT


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