[LETTERHEAD]
[DATE]
[PHARMACY]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE ZIP CODE]
Dear Sir/Madam:
I'm an advocate for the blind and writing on behalf an individual who is in need of assistance utilizing your pharmacy services. This individual is blind and regularly receives numerous prescription medications. Please direct this letter to the person in your organization responsible for ensuring compliance with the following regulations:
- 45 CFR § 92.202 (Effective Communication for Individuals with Disabilities; final rule effective July 18, 2016. Reference: 81 FR 31376 - Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities), and
- 28 CFR § 36.303 (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities; Specific Requirements; Auxiliary Aids and Services).
[NAME OF PHARMACY CUSTOMER], whose address is [ADDRESS OF PHARMACY CUSTOMER] and whose phone number is [PHONE NUMBER OF PHARMACY CUSTOMER] hereby makes a request, pursuant to the above referenced rules (copies of which are enclosed for your convenience), that your pharmacy supply his/her prescription information in an accessible format.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
[NAME OF ADVOCATE]
attachments:
45 CFR § 92.202 - select provisions
45 CFR § 92.4 - definitions applicable to 45 CFR §92.202; select provisions
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45 CFR § 92.202 - Effective communication for individuals with disabilities.
(a) A covered entity shall take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with individuals with disabilities are as effective as communications with others in health programs and activities, in accordance with the standards found at 28 CFR 35.160 through 35.164. Where the regulatory provisions referenced in this section use the term “public entity,” the term “covered entity” shall apply in its place.
(b) A recipient or State-based Marketplace℠ shall provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services to persons with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills, where necessary to afford such persons an equal opportunity to benefit from the service in question.
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45 CFR § 92.4 - Definitions
Auxiliary aids and services include:
(1) Qualified interpreters on-site or through video remote interpreting (VRI) services, as defined in 28 CFR 35.104 and 36.303(b); note takers; real-time computer-aided transcription services; written materials; exchange of written notes; telephone handset amplifiers; assistive listening devices; assistive listening systems; telephones compatible with hearing aids; closed caption decoders; open and closed captioning, including real-time captioning; voice, text, and video-based telecommunication products and systems, text telephones (TTYs), videophones, and captioned telephones, or equally effective telecommunications devices; videotext displays; accessible electronic and information technology; or other effective methods of making aurally delivered information available to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing;
(2) Qualified readers; taped texts; audio recordings; Braille materials and displays; screen reader software; magnification software; optical readers; secondary auditory programs; large print materials; accessible electronic and information technology; or other effective methods of making visually delivered materials available to individuals who are blind or have low vision;
(3) Acquisition or modification of equipment and devices; and
(4) Other similar services and actions.
Covered entity means:
(1) An entity that operates a health program or activity, any part of which receives Federal financial assistance;
(2) An entity established under Title I of the ACA that administers a health program or activity; and
(3) The Department.
Disability means, with respect to an individual, a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; a record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having such an impairment, as defined and construed in the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. 705(9)(B), which incorporates the definition of disability in the ADA, 42 U.S.C. 12102, as amended. Where this part cross-references regulatory provisions that use the term “handicap,” “handicap” means “disability” as defined in this section.
Electronic and information technology means the same as “electronic and information technology,” or any term that replaces “electronic and information technology,” as it is defined in 36 CFR 1194.4.
Federal financial assistance.
(1) Federal financial assistance means any grant, loan, credit, subsidy, contract (other than a procurement contract but including a contract of insurance), or any other arrangement by which the Federal government provides or otherwise makes available assistance in the form of:
(i) Funds;
(ii) Services of Federal personnel; or
(iii) Real and personal property or any interest in or use of such property, including:
(A) Transfers or leases of such property for less than fair market value or for reduced consideration; and
(B) Proceeds from a subsequent transfer or lease of such property if the Federal share of its fair market value is not returned to the Federal government.
(2) Federal financial assistance the Department provides or otherwise makes available includes Federal financial assistance that the Department plays a role in providing or administering, including all tax credits under Title I of the ACA, as well as payments, subsidies, or other funds extended by the Department to any entity providing health-related insurance coverage for payment to or on behalf of an individual obtaining health-related insurance coverage from that entity or extended by the Department directly to such individual for payment to any entity providing health-related insurance coverage.
Health program or activity means the provision or administration of health-related services, health-related insurance coverage, or other health-related coverage, and the provision of assistance to individuals in obtaining health-related services or health-related insurance coverage. For an entity principally engaged in providing or administering health services or health insurance coverage or other health coverage, all of its operations are considered part of the health program or activity, except as specifically set forth otherwise in this part. Such entities include a hospital, health clinic, group health plan, health insurance issuer, physician's practice, community health center, nursing facility, residential or community-based treatment facility, or other similar entity. A health program or activity also includes all of the operations of a State Medicaid program, a Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Basic Health Program.
Individual with a disability means any individual who has a disability as defined for the purpose of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 705(20)(B)-(F), as amended. Where this part cross-references regulatory provisions applicable to a “handicapped individual,” “handicapped individual” means “individual with a disability” as defined in this section.
Qualified individual with a disability means, with respect to a health program or activity, an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of aids, benefits, or services offered or provided by the health program or activity.
Recipient means any State or its political subdivision, or any instrumentality of a State or its political subdivision, any public or private agency, institution, or organization, or other entity, or any individual, to whom Federal financial assistance is extended directly or through another recipient and which operates a health program or activity, including any subunit, successor, assignee, or transferee of a recipient.
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28 CFR § 36.303. Auxiliary aids and services
(a) General. A public accommodation shall take those steps that may be necessary to ensure that no individual with a disability is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently than other individuals because of the absence of auxiliary aids and services, unless the public accommodation can demonstrate that taking those steps would fundamentally alter the nature of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations being offered or would result in an undue burden, i.e., significant difficulty or expense.
(b) Examples. The term "auxiliary aids and services" includes-
...
(2) Qualified readers; taped texts; audio recordings; Brailled materials and displays; screen reader software; magnification software; optical readers; secondary auditory programs (SAP); large print materials; accessible electronic and information technology; or other effective methods of making visually delivered materials available to individuals who are blind or have low vision;
(3) Acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; and
(4) Other similar services and actions.
(c) Effective communication.
(1) A public accommodation shall furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities. This includes an obligation to provide effective communication to companions who are individuals with disabilities.
(i) For purposes of this section, “companion” means a family member, friend, or associate of an individual seeking access to, or participating in, the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a public accommodation, who, along with such individual, is an appropriate person with whom the public accommodation should communicate.
(ii) The type of auxiliary aid or service necessary to ensure effective communication will vary in accordance with the method of communication used by the individual; the nature, length, and complexity of the communication involved; and the context in which the communication is taking place. A public accommodation should consult with individuals with disabilities whenever possible to determine what type of auxiliary aid is needed to ensure effective communication, but the ultimate decision as to what measures to take rests with the public accommodation, provided that the method chosen results in effective communication. In order to be effective, auxiliary aids and services must be provided in accessible formats, in a timely manner, and in such a way as to protect the privacy and independence of the individual with a disability.
(2) A public accommodation shall not require an individual with a disability to bring another individual to interpret for him or her.
(3) A public accommodation shall not rely on an adult accompanying an individual with a disability to interpret or facilitate communication, except—
(i) In an emergency involving an imminent threat to the safety or welfare of an individual or the public where there is no interpreter available; or
(ii) Where the individual with a disability specifically requests that the accompanying adult interpret or facilitate communication, the accompanying adult agrees to provide such assistance, and reliance on that adult for such assistance is appropriate under the circumstances.
(4) A public accommodation shall not rely on a minor child to interpret or facilitate communication, except in an emergency involving an imminent threat to the safety or welfare of an individual or the public where there is no interpreter available.
...
(g) Alternatives. If provision of a particular auxiliary aid or service by a public accommodation would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations being offered or in an undue burden, i.e., significant difficulty or expense, the public accommodation shall provide an alternative auxiliary aid or service, if one exists, that would not result in an alteration or such burden but would nevertheless ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, individuals with disabilities receive the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations offered by the public accommodation.