[Perform-talk] NFB files law suits against 4 California law schools
Donna Hill
penatwork at epix.net
Thu Jun 17 21:10:06 UTC 2010
National Federation of the Blind Files Suit Against Four California
Law Schools
<http://thebatchannel.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/national-federation-of-the-blind-files-suit-against-four-california-law-schools/>
Posted by rbwatson1 <http://> on June 17, 2010
* *
*SAN FRANCISCO, June 9
PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- *
*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
<http://www.lsac.orgf>*)
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 yesterday 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. *
About the National Federation of the Blind
*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
United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through
advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging
independence and
self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field
today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB
opened the
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first
research and training center in the United States for the blind led
by the blind. *
*Reproduced from
*http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=605
<http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=605> * *
--
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