[blindlaw] LSAT Accommodations?

[T. Joseph Carter]

In a nutshell, we're talking about student teaching with every school 
district within reach having been "warned" about me and the "legal 
issues" surrounding me.  None are willing to offer me a field 
placement as a result.  (I can prove the action in one district, a 
pattern response from all districts, and a specific explanation as to 
why I am unwelcome in one of them.)

I've been told by the DOE Office for Civil Rights that as long as I 
have received "passing" grades, it is essentially impossible to prove 
damages, despite the fact that I'll not be accepted into any field 
placements as a student teacher, and the districts will refuse to 
hire me.

Add that to the fact that it's a state university and there are tort 
limitations.  One attorney expressed interest.  He wanted either 
$450/hr plus expenses in advance, or expenses in advance plus about 
70-80% on contingency.  He would begin by filing lawsuits against 
several people and entities that had neither knowledge of nor 
responsibility for what had happened, in addition to the university.

The net effect would be to alienate all support I had (including the 
NFB) and end any chance of educating the university so that similar 
abuse did not happen to others.  The amount of money I would receive 
from the suit would be less than the cost of tuition, let alone my 
financial aid loans.  In addition, I would still be unable to be 
employed in the field and with no additional training.

I concluded this litigator's top priority was not justice, and I 
declined his offer of representation.

As I said, sometimes the system is rigged.

Joseph


On Sun, May 17, 2009 at 08:11:23PM -0700, ckrugman at sbcglobal.net wrote:
> that's the point when all else has failed and you have your documentation 
> it becomes litigation time.
> Chuck
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "T. Joseph Carter" 
> <carter.tjoseph at gmail.com>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 5:16 AM
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] LSAT Accommodations?
>
>
>> Chuck,
>>
>> I'd say lack of preparation and acquisition of skills needed for 
>> college accounts for a fair bit, but sometimes it just doesn't matter 
>> what you bring to the game.  Sometimes, the game's been rigged, and you 
>> may not know about it until you've invested yourself.
>>
>> There are few coping skills that will help you if you become subject to 
>> institutionalized discrimination, the subjective and reactive 
>> application of unwritten policies, and vicious gossip and character 
>> assassination. With strong social support, tenacity in abundance, very 
>> strong skills, and the grace of God, you might survive.
>>
>> That's what I've been dealing with.  Of course, anyone who knows me can 
>> tell you that I am a born fighter.  I don't give up.  More importantly, 
>> if I have to go through it, I'm going to make sure that nobody else 
>> ever has to.  And yet, even I have been ready to walk away a few times. 
>>  I can promise you that anyone else would have.  I've learned that many 
>> people have in the past.  Not one person with a disability has survived 
>> my program in six years.
>>
>> Sometimes, it just doesn't matter what you do, how you do it, or what  
>> skills you've got.  If your faculty are determined to see you fail 
>> because you are blind, there's not much you can do until the damage is 
>> already done.
>>
>> I don't know how we can prepare people for that, except to have them 
>> read lots of early Federation history and all of Dr. Jernigan's more 
>> militant speeches.  *grin*  I'm not certain it'll help, but it's the 
>> best suggestion I've got.
>>
>> Joseph
>>
>>
>> On Sat, May 16, 2009 at 11:06:09PM -0700, ckrugman at sbcglobal.net wrote:
>>> Being a product of public schools in the 60's where I was the only 
>>> blind student and college and grad school in the 70's and 80's where  
>>> accommodations were negotiated between myself and the professors on a 
>>> large university campus. The bottom line was that blind and other  
>>> disabled students learned how to solve their problems and how to 
>>> function independently in all facets of their education and life or 
>>> they failed. Basic coping skills both for academic and nonacademic 
>>> survival are a needed prerequisite to college and work and reasonable 
>>> accommodation through any legislation is not going to bring about an 
>>> increase of success in college or the real world of employment.
>>> Chuck
>>
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