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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink="#606420"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> CMPDL's Disability Discussion Docket (3D) [mailto:CMPDL-3D@MAIL.AMERICANBAR.ORG] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Phelan, William<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, April 19, 2011 12:05 PM<br><b>To:</b> CMPDL-3D@MAIL.AMERICANBAR.ORG<br><b>Subject:</b> Comment Submission to Help Law Students with Disabilities<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hello friends,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Some of you I have spoken to already. For those who I have not spoken with, please excuse the impersonal nature of this e-mail; but, as you will see below, there is a task before us that requires effort from a large group. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>I am writing you to see if you and/or your entity wish to submit comments to the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar’s (LEAB) Standards Review Committee (SRC) in order to ameliorate the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools (Standards). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Background<o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>SRC is soliciting comment from interested parties (for more details, see: <a href="http://apps.americanbar.org/legaled/committees/comstandards.html">http://apps.americanbar.org/legaled/committees/comstandards.html</a>). Comments to SRC are due by mid-July. SRC will then process the comments and submit its suggestions to LEAB in August. LEAB will then release the proposed changes to the public for another round of comments. Therefore, there will be two bites at this apple. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>As you may know, the Standards are what all ABA-approved law schools must meet in order to receive ABA-accreditation. The legal education community takes the Standards very seriously. Some of the Standards touch on disability either directly or indirectly, and nearly all of these Standards do so in an inadequate manner. Therefore, making sure concerns are heard when the Standards are updated is an imperative policy project that can help ensure that nearly all of America’s law schools and legal testing agencies properly accommodate applicants and law students with disabilities. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Without going into too much detail at this time, there are serious and well-founded concerns that applicants and law students with disabilities are facing problems in receiving accommodations from testing agencies and law schools. There also appears to be problems in eliminating bias within the profession regarding this population. Whether it is flagging on the LSAT, a denial of JAWS for a civil procedure final, or the faulty assumption that someone with a learning disability is automatically unfit to attend law school, those in the early part of the legal profession’s pipeline who happen to have disabilities need help! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The Commission and its Committee on Lawyers with Disabilities have already drafted and approved a set of comments for the first round of commenting. They are attached. You can access the Standards in their current form here: <a href="http://www.americanbar.org/content/aba/groups/legal_education/resources/standards.html">http://www.americanbar.org/content/aba/groups/legal_education/resources/standards.html</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Action Requested</span></u><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The SRC is asking entities or individuals to submit comments. If your organization, for whatever reason, cannot submit comments they can be submitted by you in your individual capacity. This effort is being treated as a submission process used for commenting on proposed rules offered by governmental agencies. What is important here is for the legal education community to read your views regarding the importance of providing an unobstructed path to law school and beyond. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The attached comments provide explanations of the proposed edits. I would also like to hear your views. Therefore, there will be a conference call to further explain this process and discuss potential comments to the Standards. After a brief explanation of the process and a run down of the Commission’s product, the call will be open for all to participate. I expect the call to last no more than an hour. You do not need to attend the phone call to participate and submit comments. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In sum, this is an excellent opportunity to help law students and law school applicants with disabilities. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Next Steps</span></u><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><ol style='margin-top:0in' start=1 type=1><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Please reply to me and let me know if you are interested in joining this information-sharing effort<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Go to the following link before 5PM on 4/26/11 and indicate during which of the proposed conference call times you are available: <a href="http://doodle.com/r5n457pu6ysqx3xr">http://doodle.com/r5n457pu6ysqx3xr</a> . If you require conference call captioning, please let me know in your e-mail reply. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>On 4/27/11 I will notify all of the date and time of the conference call and provide call-in information.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Go over the attached document in preparation for the call.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Thank you very much for your time and consideration.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Best,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Bill Phelan <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>William J. Phelan, IV, Esq.</span></strong><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Special Projects & Technology Coordinator</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'>American Bar Association</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'>740 15th Street, NW, 9th Fl.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'>Washington, DC 20005-1022</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'>T: 202-662-1576</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'>F: 202-442-3439</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'><a href="mailto:william.phelan@americanbar.org">william.phelan@americanbar.org</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'><a href="http://www.abanet.org/disability">http://www.abanet.org/disability</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><em><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Notice: The contents of this e-mail may be confidential and/or privileged. If you have received this e-mail in error, or are not its intended recipient, please: do not print, copy, or distribute in any way the above message or its attachments; delete this e-mail from your computer; and inform the sender of this error. Thank you. </span></em><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>==============<br>Going to respond to this message? Be sure to hit "Reply All" when doing so.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Disability Discussion Docket (3D)<br>ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law<br><a href="http://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_services/mental_physical_disability.html">http://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_services/mental_physical_disability.html</a><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in'><img border=0 width=100 height=100 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:~WRD000.jpg" alt="Image removed by sender. s3D logo"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p>------------------<br>Material distributed over 3D is for educational and informational purposes only. The contents of any e-mail, including any statements that may be construed as legal advice or referral, are solely the responsibility of the e-mail?s author. In no event shall any contents be the responsibility of and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Bar Association, its officers, employees, agents or the Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law.<o:p></o:p></p><p>------------------<br>Getting too many e-mails? You can switch to the digest format by sending a message to listserv@mail.americanbar.org. Leave the subject blank and in the body of the message type "SET list HTML DIGEST". To return to the traditional subscription, follow the same directions, but put "SET list NODIGEST" in the body of the message.<br>If you have any questions about 3D or the CMPDL in general, please contact William Phelan at <a href="mailto:william.phelan@americanbar.org">william.phelan@americanbar.org</a>. <o:p></o:p></p><p>______________________________________<br>Thank you for your continued interest in this list. A summary of your list subscriptions, including CMPDL-3D, can be found at <a href="http://apps.americanbar.org/elistserv/home.cfm">http://apps.americanbar.org/elistserv/home.cfm</a> . This new List Subscription Page allows you to manage your lists, as well as join others. <o:p></o:p></p><p>If you have any issues you may either contact the list owner via email: <a href="mailto:CMPDL-3D-request@mail.americanbar.org">CMPDL-3D-request@mail.americanbar.org</a>, or the ABA Service Center at phone: 1-800-285-2221 or email: <a href="mailto:service@americanbar.org">service@americanbar.org</a>. <br>______________________________________<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>