[blindlaw] Seeking guidance

Mon Dec 24 15:41:44 UTC 2018

One more thing, having sent this message from your iPhone, did you use a separate keyboard or have you found the Braille input useful?
On Dec 24, 2018, at 9:27 AM, James Fetter via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> First of all, I agree with Paul. If this is your dream, go for it. Just know that more than a sane amount of work, work, and work, awaits you.
> As to your questions:
> 1. Having taken both the GRE and LSAT, I can state with a high level of confidence that the GRE does not present half the accommodations barriers the LSAT does. The logic games section of the LSAT requires either the drawing of diagrams or the use of Excel. There are no accessible study aids that teach you how to use Excel to ace this section. And at least when I took the LSAT, getting basic accommodations from LSAC was like waging a war of attrition. So if you don’t mind being limited to the programs that accept the GRE, then do that and save yourself some pain and suffering.
> 2. Going to law school after grad school is an interesting transition. All of a sudden, you’re in a classroom with people ten years younger—people who are generally used to studying for high-pressure exams and who seem to have an inexhaustible amount of energy. Yet, you will have advantages: the ability to think in different ways, the ability to write both well and more quickly, etc. You will be fine, as long as you don’t get sucked into the grades/money dynamic (I.e. the idea that the only reason you’re there is to get top grades so that you can land a job at a NYC law firm). Nothing wrong with those goals, but based on your message, they don’t seem to be your goals.
> 3. Being blind in law school is like being blind anywhere else. You’ll need the same auxiliary aids as you would need in grad school. The only real difference I found is that, if you’re on journal, it can be interesting getting accommodations from 3L’s (Third-year law students) while you’re a 2L staff editor. I had to provide a crash course on the ADA to 3L’s, who thought accommodations were a courtesy they could approve or deny at will. But I got through it just fine and am now practicing.
> 4. Re: going through law school as a parent, I can’t help much there other than to advise finding other parents going through the same thing as you are. Most of your fellow students will be in their early 20’s and still on Tinder. So find other older law students who took a “non-traditional” path. Though my wife and I do not have kids, my best friends in law school were other older students who took non-traditional paths. In fact, these friendships, in addition to my wife, kept me sane through what would have otherwise been a very frenetic three years.
> I hope some of this is helpful, and I wish you nothing but the best!
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Dec 24, 2018, at 8:45 AM, Maura Kutnyak via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Thank you Dr. Harpur.  While maybe not practical, your words ring true. No one can answer some of my deepest questions other than me, in the moment.   Again, thank you so kindly for taking the time to write.
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> 
>> Maura Kutnyak 
>> 716-563-9882
>> 
>>> On Dec 24, 2018, at 8:10 AM, Paul Harpur via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> You never know if you can live your dream until you wake up and take the plunge.  Go for it!
>>> I am based in Australia but am also an International Distinguished Fellow at BBI at Syracuse University.  I will let others give more practical advice, but my e-mail is here to encourage you.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Dr Paul Harpur
>>> BBus (HRm), LLB (Hons) LLM, PhD, solicitor of the High Court of Australia (non-practicing)
>>> Fulbright Future Scholar/International Distinguished Fellow, Burton Blatt Institute, SU, New York.
>>> Senior Lecturer
>>> 
>>> TC Beirne School of Law
>>> The University of Queensland
>>> Brisbane Qld 4072 Australia
>>> 
>>> T +61 7 3365 8864 M +61 417 635 609
>>> E p.harpur at law.uq.edu.au TCB Profile/Google Citation Page 
>>> CRICOS code: 00025B
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Scientia ac Labore
>>> 
>>> This email (including any attached files) is intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information of The University of Queensland. If you are not the addressee, you are notified that any transmission, distribution, printing or photocopying of this email is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please delete and notify me. Unless explicitly stated, the opinions expressed in this email do not represent the official position of The University of Queensland.
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Maura Kutnyak via BlindLaw
>>> Sent: Monday, 24 December 2018 11:05 PM
>>> To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Maura Kutnyak <maurakutnyak at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [blindlaw] Seeking guidance
>>> 
>>> Hello blind law participants,
>>>  I am writing with more than a little hesitation and an equal amount of interest.  If what follows would be better directed else where please point the way.
>>> 
>>>  I am a blind graduate student in Buffalo NY.  Under the influence of a few converging forces, a slight interest in law school as a next step has grown to a nagging and exciting unshakable desire.  More than a few people who have offered consultation as I explore this option have pointed me to the collective knowledge of this email list.
>>> 
>>>  My questions range from broad ideas such as, How could I possibly make my way through law school blind and a mother of three?  To, what kinds of supports will I need?  Most immediate is the question of which entrance test should I take?  I recently learned that The University at Buffalo law school started accepting the GRE in addition to the LSAT.  I did not have to take the GRE for the MPA program in which I am currently studying.  So, I am not sure which test is more friendly to the blind.
>>> 
>>>  I could go on and on.I will end soon. One additional question is, are there any recent UB law graduates in this list?  hearing from someone who has spent time in that program may be a very helpful start.
>>> 
>>>  Thanks to anyone who took the time to read.  I have so many more questions but I do not want to clog anyones inbox Too much.  Again, if this line of inquiry would be best plumbed somewhere else don't hesitate to redirect.
>>> 
>>> Sincerely,
>>> 
>>> Maura Kutnyak-Smalley
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>> 
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> 
> 
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