Disabled Equestrians Organization
DisabledEquestrians.org
231 Glenwood Ave
Woodside, Calif. 94062
July 11, 2000
Department
of Justice
Disability
Rights Section
P.O.
Box 66738
Washington,
D.C. 20035-6738
The
Disabled Equestrians Organization represents individuals that are moderately
disabled and use a horse or mule to provide them access to trails in the
outdoors.
We
would like you to confirm our interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities
act.
Disabled Equestrians
Defined:
The
causes of their disabilities are varied, and include accidents, old age and
disease. Some of the areas affected
are knees, lungs, hearts, backs and ankles.
In spite of the diversity of aliments, they all share a common solution
to their disabilities: they use a horse or mule to carry their worn out bodies
to the places that millions of Americans enjoy: the beautiful high country of
the Sierras, the rolling hills of the California coast, and many other public
parks and forests. It is estimated that
one third of all equestrians suffer some form of disability that requires them
to use a horse for access to the backcountry.
There are other organizations that focus on severely disabled persons
that use horses for equine facilitated therapy. We applaud their efforts, feel they are doing a great job, but
our group is not focusing in on that aspect of disability.
Major life Activity.
Watch
the water soaring, feel the mist, hear the roar of Waterwheel Falls and
Yosemite Falls.
Awaken
to sunrise over a dew-covered mountain meadow.
Watch the clouds drift over the High Sierra’s. Wander in the solitude of a Redwood forest. There are thousands of miles of trails in the backcountry of America
that are enjoyed by millions of people…. If you are fortunate enough to be able
to hike the trails, carry a pack and climb the hills. This is the major life activity that we dearly love and dream of
participating in.
Access:
The
land we wish to access is owned by Federal, State and Local jurisdictions. Horses have traveled many of the trails for
a hundred years or more. In recent
years however, the government entities have been closing trails to horses, and
limiting places to park a horse trailer.
Sometimes newly opened areas have implemented a ban on horses or trails. The
indirect result of these actions amounts to discrimination against disabled
equestrians that use a horse or mule to access the trails. We just want an equal opportunity to benefit
from the parks, forests and open space our taxes pay for. There are no undue financial or
administrative burdens required to allow us access. All we wish is reasonable modifications to the policies, practices
and procedures that limit our access.
Thank
you for your assistance. Please confirm
our interpretation of the ADA with a Technical Assistance Letter. How might the Department of Justice be of
assistance on resolving these issues?
You may contact me at my home number 650-851-2052 if you have any
questions.
Sincerely.
President
I Can by John A. Davies
I
cannot walk, or run or play
A
game of tennis every day,
I
cannot dance or ride a bike
I'll
never know what skating's like.
I
have no soccer boots or ball
They
are no use to me at all,
I'll
never ski the waves or snow
So
many thrills I'll never know
I'll
never sail the wind or surf
Or
chase a ball across the turf,
Nor
climb the snow capped peaks above,
So
many thrills I'll never love.
But
I CAN ride through forest trails
To
see the fox and rabbit tails
And
watch the geese and ducks take flight
While
leaping stags and deer take fright.
And
I CAN follow mountain tracks
Past
climbers weighted down with packs
To
trace a river to its source
Above
the clouds and feel the force.
Yes,
I enjoy the "Sport of Kings",
When
carried high my feet take wings
To
fly me on a pleasure course,
For
I CAN mount and ride a horse.