[blindlaw] Seeking guidance

Mon Dec 24 22:45:04 UTC 2018

Greetings Maura. 

I can relate to your itch to go for your J.D. despite what some may be
telling you are bad odds for success. I took that plunge at the age of 48
with an established 22 year professional career already behind me, married,
couple of teenage kids still at home, and plenty of uncertainty. It was
Scary as hell, and what my heart was telling me to do. I paid a price for it
and I do not regret my decision. 

 So that is my first advice, take the time to listen carefully to your heart
on this. You need to do it because it's  what is right for you, not for
anyone else. And if it is right for you and you know it, ignore those who
will try to convince you that you'd be crazy to do it as someone without
sight (including other blind lawyers). 

for the most part, I agree with the comments and advice from others on this
list regarding testing and strategy. So know this,  yeah, it's going to be
damned hard and you're going to hit some walls that will be tough to get
around/over/through but you probably know if you've got the metal for it in
you. So go for it if you know it's right for you and you believe you've got
the metal to find your way through some unique challenges. Follow your
heart.

My best wishes to you and yours for the holidays and the new year.

Bill

Bill Spiry
Attorney at Law
Spiry Law LLC
(541) 600-3301
Bill at SpiryLaw.com
Bill.spiry at gmail.com 

"what's within you is stronger than what's in your way" - Erik Weihenmayer

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-----Original Message-----
From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Maura Kutnyak via
BlindLaw
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2018 7:42 AM
To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Maura Kutnyak <maurakutnyak at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Seeking guidance

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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