[Nfbf-l] Fw: [blindlaw] FW: Law Schools Sued by Us

Fri Jun 11 13:40:50 UTC 2010

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Danielsen" <cdanielsen8 at aol.com>
To: <cathrynisfinally at verizon.net>; "'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'" 
<blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2010 10:04 PM
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] FW: Law Schools Sued by Us


> Please feel free to distribute the press release to whomever you feel 
> should
> see it for whatever reason.
>
> Chris
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Cathryn Bonnette
> Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2010 4:31 AM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] FW: Law Schools Sued by Us
>
> Noel or Listers,
>
> Question: Is permission required to reference/quote the article below?
>
> I am communicating with a contact in the civil rights division of the DOJ
> this morning concerning access problems that blind applicants for federal
> jobs are experiencing due to inaccessibility of the web page and on line
> application system for applicants who use JAWS, or similar speech 
> software.
>
> I would prefer to send the message today to expedite corrective actions.
> Please advise whether consent is needed and/or an appropriate contact 
> person
> to provide permission if needed. Please respond today, 6/10/10.
> If a telephone call is easier for you, feel free to call my cell any time
> today: 202-744-4800.
>
> Thank you in advance for any assistance you may be able to provide with 
> this
> effort to expand federal employment opportunities for blind persons.
>
> Best,
>
> Cathryn Bonnette
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Nightingale, Noel
> Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 3:55 PM
> To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [blindlaw] FW: Law Schools Sued by Us
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Prows, Bennett (HHS/OCR)
> Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 11:48 AM
> To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
> Subject: [nfbwatlk] Law Schools Sued by Us
>
> Listers,
>
>
>
> FYI, the below is another example of why the NFB.
>
>
>
> /s/
>
>
>
> Bennett Prows
>
>
>
>
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>
>
> CONTACT:
>
>
>
> Chris Danielsen
>
>
>
> Director of Public Relations
>
>
>
> National Federation of the Blind
>
>
>
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>
>
>
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>
>
>
> cdanielsen at nfb.org
>
>
>
> Law Schools Discriminate Against Blind ApplicantsNational Federation of 
> the
> Blind Files Suit Against Four California Law Schools
>
>
>
> San Francisco, California (June 9, 2010): The National Federation of the
> Blind (NFB), the nation's oldest and largest organization of blind people,
> and
>
> three blind students who have applied or are considering applying to law
> school in California-Deepa Goraya, Bruce J. Sexton, and Claire 
> Stanley-filed
> an
>
> amended lawsuit yesterday against the Law School Admissions Council and 
> four
> California law schools for violating provisions of the California Disabled
>
> Persons Act, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the Americans with 
> Disabilities
> Act.  The suit was filed because the law schools require or encourage
> applicants
>
> to use a centralized Internet-based application process provided by the 
> Law
> School Admissions Council (LSAC) through its Web site (
>
> www.lsac.org
>
> ) that is inaccessible to blind law school applicants.  Blind students 
> must
> seek sighted assistance to use the LSAC system.  Furthermore, blind law
> school
>
> applicants cannot perform other tasks on the LSAC Web site, such as
> downloading official study materials for the Law School Admissions Test
> (LSAT) that
>
> is required by almost all U.S. law schools.  The four law schools are:
> University of California Hastings College of the Law, Thomas Jefferson
> School of
>
> Law, Whittier Law School, and Chapman University School of Law.
>
>
>
> Blind people access Web sites on computers equipped with screen access
> software that converts what is on the screen into synthesized speech or
> Braille.
>
> The keyboard is used instead of a mouse to navigate the Web site and click
> on selected links or buttons.  If a Web site is improperly coded, however,
> blind
>
> computer users cannot access or interact with the site.  The law school
> applications available on lsac.org are completely inaccessible to screen
> readers,
>
> requiring blind users to resort to sighted assistance in order to complete
> their law school applications.  In addition, the practice tests and
> preparation
>
> materials for the LSAT are not available in an electronic format that is
> accessible to blind computer users.
>
>
>
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
> said: "The National Federation of the Blind demands that those who control
> admission
>
> to the practice of law obey the law.  For too long, blind people have
> experienced barriers to entering the legal profession, despite a long
> history of
>
> success and distinguished service by blind attorneys and judges.  The
> National Federation of the Blind will not sit quietly while the LSAC
> willfully refuses
>
> to provide the same services to blind people seeking admission to law 
> school
> that it does to the sighted.  The LSAC is engaging in blatant 
> discrimination
>
> against the blind and we will not stand for it.  Since all of the schools
> named in our amended complaint either require or strongly encourage
> applicants
>
> to use the inaccessible LSAC application system, they too are actively
> discriminating against blind applicants and we will ask the courts to hold
> them
>
> responsible for doing so."
>
>
>
> The National Federation of the Blind and Ms. Goraya originally filed suit
> against the LSAC for its inaccessible Web site in February of 2009.
> The complaint
>
> filed today amends that action.  The National Federation of the Blind
> recently filed complaints with the United States Department of Justice
> against nine
>
> other law schools across the United States that use the LSAC online
> application system.  The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department 
> is
> investigating
>
> those complaints.
>
>
>
> Plaintiffs are represented in this matter by Daniel F. Goldstein and 
> Mehgan
> Sidhu of the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein, and Levy; Laurence W. 
> Paradis,
>
> Anna Levine, and Karla Gilbride of the Berkley firm Disability Rights
> Advocates; and Scott C. LaBarre of the Denver firm LaBarre Law Offices.
>
>
>
>
> ###
>
>
>
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