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<DIV dir=ltr class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left><FONT size=2
face=Tahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Freeh, Jessica
[mailto:JFreeh@nfb.org]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, June 09, 2010 10:39
AM<BR><B>To:</B> Alpidio Rolon; Amy Buresh; Angela Wolf; Anil Lewis; Art
Schreiber; Beth Rival; Bill Packee; Bob Kresmer; Carl Jacobsen; Cassandra
McNabb; Cathy Jackson; Charlene Smyth; Christine G. Hall; Dan Hicks; Daniel
Burke; Don Galloway; Donna Wood; Elsie Dickerson; Frank Lee; Franklin Shiner;
Fred Schroeder; Gary Ray; Gary Wunder; J.W. Smith; James Antonacci; Jennelle
Bichler; Jennifer Dunnam; Joe Ruffalo; John Batron; John Fritz; Joyce Scanlan;
Ken Rollman; Kevan Worley; Kim Williams; Larry Posont; Lynn Majewski; Mary
Willows; Matt Lyles; Matt Lyles; Melissa Riccobono; Michael Barber; Michael
Freeman; Mika Pyyhkala; Nani Fife; Pam Allen; Parnell Diggs; Patti Chang; Rena
Smith; Richard Gaffney; Ron Brown; Ron Gardner; Sam Gleese; Scott LaBarre;
Selena Sundling-Crawford<BR><B>Subject:</B> Law Schools Discriminate Against
Blind Applicants<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt"><FONT size=4>FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="COLOR: red; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Chris
Danielsen<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Director of Public Relations
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">National Federation of the
Blind<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(410) 659-9314, extension
2330<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(410) 262-1281 (Cell)</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Garamond; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><A
href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Helvetica> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 6pt" align=center><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT
size=4>Law Schools Discriminate Against Blind
Applicants<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></H2>
<H3 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=center><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">National
Federation of the Blind Files Suit Against Four California Law
Schools<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></H3>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">San Francisco, California (June 9,
2010):</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> 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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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 (<A href="http://www.lsac.org/">www.lsac.org</A>) that is
inaccessible to blind law school applicants.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Blind students must seek sighted
assistance to use the LSAC system. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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 <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> law schools.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The four law schools are: University of
California Hastings College of the Law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law,
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Whittier</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Law</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, and Chapman University School of
Law.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><BR
style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always" clear=all></SPAN>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">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.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN>
<P></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The National
Federation of the Blind and Ms. Goraya originally filed suit against the LSAC
for its inaccessible Web site in February of 2009.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The complaint filed today amends that
action.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The National Federation of
the Blind recently filed complaints with the United States Department of Justice
against nine other law schools across the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
States</st1:country-region></st1:place> that use the LSAC online application
system.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Civil Rights Division
of the Justice Department is investigating those complaints.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Plaintiffs are
represented in this matter by Daniel F. Goldstein and Mehgan Sidhu of the
<st1:City w:st="on">Baltimore</st1:City> firm Brown, Goldstein, and Levy;
Laurence W. Paradis, Anna Levine, and Karla Gilbride of the <st1:City
w:st="on">Berkley</st1:City> firm Disability Rights Advocates; and
<st1:PersonName w:st="on">Scott C. LaBarre</st1:PersonName> of the <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Denver</st1:place></st1:City> firm LaBarre Law
Offices.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal
align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">###<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 2" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">About the National Federation of the
Blind<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">With more than 50,000 members, the
National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership
organization of blind people in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The NFB improves blind people’s lives
through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging
independence and self-confidence.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the
nation's blind.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In January 2004 the
NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first
research and training center in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the blind led by
the blind.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Garamond; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
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