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July 27, 2006, 4:19PM
Student with no arms sues UH over note-taking
By HARVEY RICE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
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-->A disabled man with no arms wheeled into the executive offices of the University of Houston today to serve officials with a lawsuit accusing them of failing to provide him with federally required classroom assistance.
Gary Bradford, 42, of Baytown, watched from his wheelchair as his attorney handed university General Counsel Dona Hamilton a copy of a lawsuit seeking to change a policy that allowed a professor to refuse his request for someone to help him take notes.
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Hamilton declined comment until she had a chance to review the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was one of 16 filed statewide by the Texas Civil Rights Project accusing the government and private companies of failing to comply with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
All the lawsuits except Bradford's were filed Wednesday, the 16th anniversary of the act. Project attorney Ernest Saadiq Morris said heavy rain prevented him from accompanying Bradford on Wednesday to serve the lawsuit.
The lawsuit asks the court to strike down a policy that allows professors at the university the choice of whether to comply with special requests for assistance from disabled students.
"We want to teach (professors) that the school writes their paychecks and they are going to have to accommodate students," said Bradford, wheeled by his mother, Darla Bradford, 68.
Bradford is not seeking monetary damages.
Bradford -- who was born without arms, his hands attatched to his shoulders, and suffers from rickets -- said he is a vocalist and wanted to complete about 20 hours of course work needed for a bachelor's in music.
He enrolled at UH in the Fall of 2005 and the school's Academic Accommodations Evaluations Committee and Center for Students with Disabilities recommended assistance with note taking and extended testing time, the lawsuit says. Bradford, who uses two sticks to type, should also be allowed to use a computer for essays and essay exams, the school recommended.
Professors in all classes but one allowed a teaching assistant to take notes for Bradford, he said. Shirley Yu, who taught a social sciences writing intensive course that was required for graduation, refused to give him her notes or a copy of a slide presentation during a lecture, according to the lawsuit.
The four teaching assistants assigned to the class refused to take notes for Bradford, the lawsuit says.
Bradford appealed to the head of the educational psychology department and was told that the decision to accommodate him was left to Yu.
Unable to take notes, Bradford dropped the class.
He later withdrew from the university after a dispute over the scheduling of an examination, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit also says that a disabled-access entrance to the John and Rebecca Moore School of Music, where Bradford attended classes, did not function and that he was forced to wait at the door until other students could open it for him.
Morris said at least other eight lawsuits were filed in Austin, mostly against restaurants that lack accomodations for the disabled.
Another lawsuit was filed to force the repair of a gate for the disabled at the Laredo border crossing, Morris said.
harvey.rice@chron.com
July 27, 2006, 4:19PM
Student with no arms sues UH over note-taking
By HARVEY RICE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
<!-- commented out ad <iframe width="1" height="1" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder=0 scrolling=no></iframe> <script></script>
-->A disabled man with no arms wheeled into the executive offices of the University of Houston today to serve officials with a lawsuit accusing them of failing to provide him with federally required classroom assistance.
Gary Bradford, 42, of Baytown, watched from his wheelchair as his attorney handed university General Counsel Dona Hamilton a copy of a lawsuit seeking to change a policy that allowed a professor to refuse his request for someone to help him take notes.
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Hamilton declined comment until she had a chance to review the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was one of 16 filed statewide by the Texas Civil Rights Project accusing the government and private companies of failing to comply with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
All the lawsuits except Bradford's were filed Wednesday, the 16th anniversary of the act. Project attorney Ernest Saadiq Morris said heavy rain prevented him from accompanying Bradford on Wednesday to serve the lawsuit.
The lawsuit asks the court to strike down a policy that allows professors at the university the choice of whether to comply with special requests for assistance from disabled students.
"We want to teach (professors) that the school writes their paychecks and they are going to have to accommodate students," said Bradford, wheeled by his mother, Darla Bradford, 68.
Bradford is not seeking monetary damages.
Bradford -- who was born without arms, his hands attatched to his shoulders, and suffers from rickets -- said he is a vocalist and wanted to complete about 20 hours of course work needed for a bachelor's in music.
He enrolled at UH in the Fall of 2005 and the school's Academic Accommodations Evaluations Committee and Center for Students with Disabilities recommended assistance with note taking and extended testing time, the lawsuit says. Bradford, who uses two sticks to type, should also be allowed to use a computer for essays and essay exams, the school recommended.
Professors in all classes but one allowed a teaching assistant to take notes for Bradford, he said. Shirley Yu, who taught a social sciences writing intensive course that was required for graduation, refused to give him her notes or a copy of a slide presentation during a lecture, according to the lawsuit.
The four teaching assistants assigned to the class refused to take notes for Bradford, the lawsuit says.
Bradford appealed to the head of the educational psychology department and was told that the decision to accommodate him was left to Yu.
Unable to take notes, Bradford dropped the class.
He later withdrew from the university after a dispute over the scheduling of an examination, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit also says that a disabled-access entrance to the John and Rebecca Moore School of Music, where Bradford attended classes, did not function and that he was forced to wait at the door until other students could open it for him.
Morris said at least other eight lawsuits were filed in Austin, mostly against restaurants that lack accomodations for the disabled.
Another lawsuit was filed to force the repair of a gate for the disabled at the Laredo border crossing, Morris said.
harvey.rice@chron.com
