Question: I have a question about hunter education requirements for a learning disabled hunter. I know a child with severe dyslexia (a reading and writing disability) to the point where he is only able to read and write very basic sentences. He would easily pass the hunter education exam if he could read it. However, I don't think that will be possible for some time. Is there an exception for people in these circumstances? Can someone read the test questions to him? He really wants to hunt but this disability is standing in the way of him being able to successfully pass the hunter education test.

Answer: In California we provide reasonable accommodations for all entitled students. Anyone with a disability can ask the DFG for reasonable accommodation and it will be provided on an individual basis taking into consideration that person's specific needs. DFG Hunter Education Instructor leader Lt. James Kasper recommends that the parent, guardian or mentor contact DFG before the course to request accommodations.

The key to success for any student is to study for the hunter education exam by assembling all of the pertinent information beforehand and tailoring it to their own learning approach. Here are a few resources to do this:

1. Get the hunter education manual in advance and work with a partner to complete the chapter reviews at the end of the book.

2. In addition to the manual, get the hunter education workbook and answer the questions. Both the manual and the workbook can be obtained ahead of time by contacting the instructor who will be teaching the course, or from a local DFG office.

3. Go to any of the DFG-approved home study online courses and study the material on their websites. The websites are www.hunter-ed.com/ca/ or www.huntercourse.com/usa/california/ or www.ihea.com/hunter-education/online-courses.php.

Lt. Kasper recommends these websites for a couple of reasons. First, the Today's Hunter in California (www.hunter-ed.com/ca/) website belongs to the same company that makes the hunter education manuals we use in California, so the material is very similar. This site has California-specific information, good animations and they will be adding video in the near future. Second, HunterCourse.com (www.huntercourse.com/usa/california/) is a great website, especially for students without strong reading skills, because it incorporates more visual learning tools. The Today's Hunter and Huntercourse.com websites both have additional audio narration functions.

On a side note, these websites do not charge for using them unless the person wants to print out a voucher. Therefore, don't get scared away when it looks like a pay website. Lt. Kasper recommends using these websites for studying. A voucher is not needed for a traditional hunter education course.

For additional questions on what reasonable accommodations may be available, please contact DFG Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator Tina Johnson at (916) 651-1214.