Programme Marks 56 Years of Helping Hams with Disabilities

Apart from having a one-day (five-hour) special event, it is well worth noting that this organisation has served amateurs with disabilities for more than a half century!!

For 56 years, the Courage Handiham Program has worked with people who have disabilities, encouraging them to work toward their goal of becoming a licensed radio amateur. The special event callsigns WØZSW and WØEQO will be on the air on Monday, September 11th in a five-hour special event QSO party that is part of this year's Handiham Radio Camp. The operators will be marking the program's 56th anniversary by calling QRZ using CW and SSB on 10, 15, 20, and 40 meters. The hours of the QSO party will be from 1600 to 2100 UTC.

The callsign WØZSW was originally assigned to Rochester, Minnesota amateur, Ned Carman, W0ZSW, who helped bring the Handiham program into being, based on his work in a clinic with individuals who had severe physical disabilities. The callsign WØEQO is assigned to the program's Camp Courage North station and was originally used by the first Handiham station that provided remote HF access to amateurs who had no other way of getting on the air.