Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: ADA and NCLE CE

  1. #1
    Rising Star
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Tennessee
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    267

    ADA and NCLE CE

    Most people are familiar with the concept of a dog guide for the blind. A service dog is a dog that helps out a person with a physical disability that is not related to sight or hearing. In the U.S. any business, including offices that dispense contact lenses, are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses, including ophthalmic offices, to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed. Many businesses are not aware of the full scope of ADA and run afoul of the law when services are denied. The resulting court costs and substantial fines are expensive and needless losses associated with this ignorance.

    Since the NCLE Advanced Certification Examination requires contact lens fitters to “plan, implement, and/or evaluate personnel policies and practices that comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws,” and to “comply with professional, ethical, and legal guidelines,” I developed a course entitled “ Service Dogs in the Ophthalmic Office.” The learning outcomes included how to recognize different types of service animals, outline circumstances when a service animal may be denied entry to an office, define reasonable accommodation as it relates to an ophthalmic office, and how to comply with applicable federal laws and follow legal guidelines.

    NCLE disapproved this course because the “course content was not specifically related to Task Analysis and is not related to Contact Lenses.” Apparently, the NCLE considers contact lens fitters to be either exempt from this particular federal law or that ignorance can be claimed as a defense once it is violated. Since this is the same organization that disapproved ethics courses because the “basic exam test specifications do not include ethics…related domains,” I shouldn’t be surprised. Still, I feel an approval agency should be able to locate board members capable of reading, comprehending, and applying its written guidelines for continuing education approval.

    Roy R. Ferguson

  2. #2
    Why not broaden the subject so it would relate to ABO & NCLE on a more general basis? Maybe something like "key issues in ADA compliance in an ophthalmic practice &/or optical store". Having worked for years in a disability policy studies agency, I realize that the ADA is a huge subject to cover, but perhaps you could address the most common occurrences of ADA non-compliance as a general overview.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •