[Nfbk] Fwd: National Federation of the Blind Applauds Historic Iowa Supreme Court Decision

[Cathy Jackson]

Read below about another victory fro the NFB!


Cathy


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Freeh, Jessica <JFreeh at nfb.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 27, 2014 at 2:39 PM
Subject: National Federation of the Blind Applauds Historic Iowa Supreme
Court Decision
To: "State President, Puerto Rico" <arguza at attglobal.net>, "State
President, Nebraska" <amy.buresh74 at gmail.com>, "State President,
Connecticut" <erival at comcast.net>, "State President, Arizona" <
krezguy at cox.net>, "State President, New York" <office at nfbny.org>, "State
President, Oregon" <president at nfb-oregon.org>, "State President, Kentucky" <
cathyj1949 at gmail.com>, Charlene Smyth <cs.nfbwv at verizon.net>, "State
President, Vermont" <deannaljones at comcast.net>, "State President, North
Dakota" <diverson at midco.net>, "State President, Idaho" <
elsiedickerson at ymail.com>, "State President, Ohio" <peduffy63 at gmail.com>,
"Schroeder, Fred" <fschroeder at sks.com>, "State President, North Carolina" <
ghraynfbofnc at charter.net>, "State President, Missouri" <
gwunder at earthlink.net>, "State President, Montana" <jkaldrich at samobile.net>,
"State President, Pennsylvania" <president at nfbp.org>, "State President,
Tennessee" <nfb.tennessee at gmail.com>, "State President, Minnesota" <
jennifer.dunnam1829 at gmail.com>, "State President, Alaska" <jnhburton at gci.net>,
Joe Ruffalo <nfbnj at yahoo.com>, "State President, Wisconsin" <
johnfritz66 at gmail.com>, "State President, Wyoming" <kthornbury at bresnan.net>,
"State President, South Dakota" <gatorbumps at rushmore.com>, Kimberly Flores <
kimberly.aguillard at gmail.com>, "State President, Massachusetts" <
kshachmut at nfbma.org>, "State President, Maine" <leonproctorjr at yahoo.com>,
"State President, Delaware" <president88 at nfbdelaware.org>, "State
President, California" <mwillows at sbcglobal.net>, "State President,
Maryland" <melissa at riccobono.us>, "State President, Iowa" <
michael.nfbi at gmail.com>, "State President, Washington" <k7uij at panix.com>,
"State President, Hawaii" <nanifife at aol.com>, Pam Allen <
pallen at lcb-ruston.com>, "State President, South Carolina" <
parnell at sccoast.net>, "State President, Illinois" <pattischang at gmail.com>,
"Brown, Ron" <RB15 at iquest.net>, "State President, Mississippi" <
sgleese at city.jackson.ms.us>, "State President, Colorado" <
slabarre at labarrelaw.com>, "State President, Alabama" <joy.harris at dwx.com>,
"State President, Arkansas" <tosheeler at cox.net>, "State President, District
of Columbia" <callaway.shawn at gmail.com>, "State President, Florida" <
danjhicks at yahoo.com>, "State President, Georgia" <gscott at nfbga.org>, "State
President, Michigan" <president.nfb.mi at gmail.com>, "State President,
Nevada" <realhappygirl1 at gmail.com>, "State President, New Hampshire" <
cemcnabb21 at yahoo.com>, "State President, New Mexico" <avigil74 at gmail.com>,
"State President, Oklahoma" <jmassay1 at cox.net>, "State President, Rhode
Island" <silvara at cox.net>, "State President, Utah" <baconev at yahoo.com>,
"State President, Kansas" <topage at swbell.net>


 *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






*National Federation of the Blind Applauds Historic Iowa Supreme Court
Decision*



*Decision Affirms Right of Blind People to Enter Chiropractic Medicine
Field*



*Des Moines, Iowa (June 27, 2014):* The National Federation of the Blind
(NFB) <http://www.nfb.org/> today applauded the Iowa Supreme Court for its
decision in the landmark case of Aaron Cannon and Davenport Civil Rights
Commission v. Palmer College of Chiropractic. In a five to two ruling, the
Iowa Supreme Court reinstituted the decision of the Davenport Civil Rights
Commission, which found that Palmer College of Chiropractic violated Aaron
Cannon’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Iowa law by
requiring that chiropractic students possess sight and by not providing
Cannon the reasonable accommodation of a sighted reader. The commission
also ordered that Palmer reinstate Cannon and pay economic damages.



“We know that blind men and women have successfully obtained chiropractic
degrees and practiced chiropractic medicine for decades,” said Marc Maurer,
President of the National Federation of the Blind. “Today’s ruling affirms
the right of all blind people to an equal education, specifically regarding
the ability of the blind to pursue medical careers.”



“For a long time, courts have given academic institutions almost absolute
deference in determining whether to provide accommodations to students with
disabilities. Today’s decision makes a critically important statement that
even though educational institutions have the right to determine their
curricula, they still must provide equal opportunity and accommodations,”
said Scott LaBarre, the attorney for Aaron Cannon who argued the case
before the Iowa Supreme Court.



Aaron Cannon was represented by attorneys Scott LaBarre and Susan Rockwood
Gashel of the Denver firm LaBarre Law Offices and by Alan Olson of Olson
Law Offices from Des Moines. Mehgan Sidhu, general counsel for the
Federation, filed an amicus brief on behalf of the National Federation of
the Blind.





*# # #*





*About the National Federation of the Blind*



The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20140723/3c7fcfd2/attachment.html>