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

[Derek Manners]

I would actually argue in the alternative. Given how the legal market is, and how hard it is to find a job, I'd lean toward the school with the best employment numbers. Most lawyers have something like 12 jobs over the course of their life so no need to pick a school for one area of law. Furthermore, disability law touches on several types of other law (constitutional, employments, contract, statutory interpretation) etc. 

You still take 54 hours of class in your law school career or so and only a small number will be about disability. 

Finally, you can use your summers to get awesome internships in disability law and get your experience that way (better than taking a class both in terms of learning and your resume). 

Best wishes
Derek Manners
2L Harvard Law

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 5, 2015, at 11:27 AM, Susan Kelly via blindlaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I was still able to see with extreme correction while in law school and the first years of employment as a lawyer, so my answer will be a bit different than others might.  I had a classmate who was also suffering from a genetic condition that would eventually lead to total blindness, as well as a student in the class ahead of me who was already totally blind and reliant on a braille writer for class notes.
> 
> From the push-back, frustrations, and general public ignorance that I have experienced maintaining my position as my sight continues to disappear, I would lean towards a college with a good disability law program.  In my home state (Arizona), the general perception, even of the bar itself, is that disability law and accommodations are primarily limited to  physical (movement) disabilities.  The sensory disabilities are somewhat of an afterthought, if that, although the adult division of the superior court does have computer relay technology available for deaf jurors and (presumably) attorneys.  The visually impaired are generally not addressed at all, except on their own complaints and efforts.  Our law schools, at least in southern Arizona, do not have a specific disability law program and thus do nothing to remedy this situation.  Our courts use websites for access to records that are, at best, only partially accessible to assistive technology, and more often inaccessible. Office file management programs and time / attendance programs are similarly inaccessible to assistive technology.  All of this is in spite of the fact that, as a sunbelt state, we have a large population of persons suffering from sensory and physical disabilities, due to age, illness, and military service.
> 
> It is my opinion that the inclusion of disability law coursework in law schools would go far to remedy these barriers.  If that is an area of interest to you - go for it.  And best of luck in your future career!
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of James Fetter via blindlaw
> Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2015 9:10 AM
> To: Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: [blindlaw] Becoming an effective advocate for the blind/disabled
> 
> 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
> 
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