Can you tell me about your experiences with classmates and professors? Have you found a community that has encouraged and supported you? What has that been like?
I’ve found people to be generally supportive and willing to adapt to ensure that classes and activities are accessible. Though many do not have much experience accommodating legally blind students, they are open-minded to learning about how my experience differs. My professors in particular have been wonderful in helping me feel welcome and ensuring that I can fully participate in all my classes. I prefer to address accommodation issues with my professors directly because I have found them to be more flexible and more willing to adapt. I have found that institutions and administrative bodies are often harder to work with. Although sympathetic, the individuals are often wed to existing practices and therefore hesitant and sometimes unwilling to enact change or go out on a limb to offer substantive advice.
You served as Vice President of your school’s Student Disability Alliance. Why did you decide to become involved? Can you tell me about the Alliance’s work, including accomplishments and continuing challenges?
I became involved with the Alliance in my first year because of my experiences with Exam4. Several students had privacy concerns related to the use of the lockdown browser, but no one discussed the serious lack of accessibility. I wanted to raise awareness of the challenges students with disabilities face and become a voice for collective action on their behalf. During my tenure as Vice President, we successfully partnered with the administration to bring in an ADA compliance specialist to ensure that classmates with physical disabilities have access to classrooms. As a result, the administration initiated a plan to add automatic door openers to several classroom doors. Of course, accessibility remains an ongoing issue, and I look forward to seeing the work the next Alliance board will undertake.
This year, you are a Student Advocate in the William & Mary Education Advocacy Clinic. Can you tell me about the work you’re doing in the clinic? Have you had any experiences in the clinic that have particularly stood out to you?
In the Special Education Advocacy Clinic, under the supervision of the director, who is a licensed attorney and former member of the ABA Commission on Disability Rights, I represent students with disabilities in school discipline proceedings, and help their parents advocate for better accommodations, services, and, in some cases, placement in specialized schools. When I started, I knew from my own experience that schools are often hesitant to implement accommodations. What I did not realize then was how much this negatively impacts the students who need their services adjusted. In my experience, it is rare for schools to act expeditiously of their own accord. Instead, they wait as long as possible and then implement only the bare minimum of accommodations. There have been some exceptions, but those are usually in extreme situations.
More broadly, my two biggest takeaways from my experience in the clinic are, first, that schools know what actions they need to take to ensure they are compliant with regulations, even if they rarely take those actions, and, second, that there is more demand for advocates than there are available advocates. Moreover, most parents cannot afford to pay for an attorney or advocate to help them fight for their child’s education. This last point cannot be understated. For many of these children, if they cannot get an appropriate education, they will never be able to find gainful employment and live independently. In many cases, the difference between a child who succeeds and a child who fails are parents and advocates who understand the special education system, its terminology, and how to leverage the student’s rights. A lack of advocates, particularly for under-resourced communities, leads to poorer educational—and professional—outcomes.
What accommodations do you receive that are integral for your full participation in the clinic?
For the most part, the accommodations I use in the clinic are the same ones that I receive for my other classes, namely use of an electronic magnifier and other technology to enlarge documents at a high resolution. Some of the devices I use are small and portable, such as a highlighter-sized reading device that scans and reads text aloud. Others are stationary, such as my desktop computer-sized magnifier. I also use different devices for different tasks. For example, I will use a more stationary device for exams because it allows for faster and more reliable reading. But at a restaurant, I will use a scanning pen because it is better suited to the task.
With respect to the clinic specifically, I struggle with comparing documents. Because schools almost always send revisions to Individual Education Plans (IEPs) as PDFs without tracked changes, subsequent versions of IEPs have to be compared manually. In those cases, I require help from my supervisor or a classmate because it is incredibly difficult for me to compare the documents due to my vision.
You are pursuing a master’s in education next year and will dedicate your career to special education advocacy. Why this area? What experiences as a student with a disability have inspired this path?
When I started law school, I already knew that I wanted to become an advocate for disability rights. At the time, I did not know that it was possible for attorneys to work within the special education system as advocates for students. That changed at the end of my first year when I sought advice from a blind attorney. Similarly, my having to strenuously advocate for crucial accommodations in law school made me determined to become a special education advocate. When I began my work in the clinic, I could understand the schools’ legal rights and obligations as well as the rights that students have, but I lacked the substantive knowledge of how education and the education system function.
I wanted to work in education in part because of my own experiences, but also because education is the backbone of a child’s future. If a child with a disability has a good education, there are no limits to what they can achieve. But if we fail to support that child, they may never graduate high school. In first grade, I never received accommodations, so I never learned to read. But my family moved, and the new school provided me with accommodations and make-up services. Because the second school took the time to help me, I was later able to take dual enrollment classes in high school, graduate high school and college early, earn two bachelor’s degrees, and, now, attend law school.
What advice would you give to aspiring law students who or blind or have low vision? To law students with disabilities in general?
My advice to both groups is the same. First, law school will be harder as a student with a disability. That’s okay. But you need to remember to be kind to yourself. While difficult, following this advice is an important part of staying positive in law school. Second, find a supportive friend group. If your school has one, join its disability organization. If not, start one, because I guarantee that you are not the only student with a disability in your class who is feeling overwhelmed and isolated.
Third, you can do anything you want to do, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I competed for a spot on the moot court team, and I am a staff member of the Environmental Law and Policy Review. Assignments might take me longer, but I can still complete them at the same level as my peers.
And sometimes, the adaptations you have to make will be beneficial. For example, in March 2024 my teammates and I were semifinalists at a moot-court competition. I couldn’t read notes during my argument because I can’t see them, so I memorized my argument. Paradoxically, the lack of notes improved my performance because I knew the case law better, and the judges were impressed that I had no notes.
Finally, network. There are groups that are dedicated to almost every type of disability, and they will likely have members who are attorneys. Reach out and build relationships with them. That way you can ask for help or advice from someone who has been in the same boat when you need it. Relatedly, be supportive of other students, particularly those with disabilities. Law school may be competitive, but you can help everyone by sharing advice and knowledge. Listen to older students when they advise you to take or not take classes with certain professors. Be a sounding board for other students who are struggling. If you share a similar problem, work together to find a solution. Going it alone in law school might just be the worst mistake you will make.
