[blindlaw] Becoming an effective advocate for the blind/disabled

[James Fetter]

Dear List,
I hope you are all well and managing to stay warm in what seems to be a 
never-ending winter. I would appreciate your thoughts and advice on the 
best sort of preparation for becoming an effective advocate, both in 
court and on the public policy level, for the blind and others with 
disabilities. I am about to start law school in the fall, and without 
going into details, I have several very attractive options in terms of 
scholarships to choose from. I am specifically interested in the 
importance, if any, in going to a law school which has one or more 
faculty in the area of disability law, clinical opportunities in this 
area, etc. Is there any genuine advantage in doing this, or is it just 
as well to go to a place with no faculty in this area but an all-around 
solid program? In terms of post-graduation employment, is coursework in 
this area important, or is it sufficient to publish an article or two on 
disability law and/or work over the summer with a relevant organization? 
IN sum, I am trying to figure out how important it is that school X has 
professor Y or clinic Z in disability law in making what is already 
going to be a tough decision. Thanks, and if this conversation goes 
beyond the parameters of this list, please feel free to write me off 
list at jtfetter at yahoo.com
Sincerely,
James Fetter