A highly encouraging Inside Higher Ed story reports a nearly $11 million bequest to Temple University to fund scholarships for students with disabilities.
The gift comes from the estate of an extraordinary 1953 Temple graduate who navigated her university education while coping with the severe effects of from cerebral palsy. The donor graduate earned two Temple accounting degrees, including an M.B.A., that she parlayed into her own accounting firm and financial success.
Temple students with disabilities can use the scholarships to cover expenses for, among other things, assistive technology, note-takers, interpreters, and housing to accommodate large medical equipment.
Temple has long been a leader in providing educational access for students with disabilities related to ADA and other disability rights. The large new bequest builds on Temple’s commitment and success.
The donor’s endowment fund representative expects Temple to direct the new scholarship funds to support career-driven individuals with disabilities. Those scholarships will thus honor the donor who overcame significant physical disabilities to achieve remarkable professional and financial success.
The new scholarship funds should confirm and increase Temple’s reputation as a disability rights leader among college and university campuses nationwide. Kudos to Temple and to the donor endowment representative for further funding the university’s laudable commitment.
While Temple is a disability rights leader, other schools fall behind in their commitments and obligations to respect students with disabilities. College and university students still find challenges with things like architectural barriers and inaccessible websites. And those challenges can crush the hopes and dreams of the affected students who are fighting to overcome their disabilities.
The Inside Higher Ed story calls Temple’s new scholarship funds a potential game changer for students. And surely those funds will be. But students also shouldn’t have to depend on donor largesse for basic educational access when access is instead a federal and state legal right.
If anything, the Inside Higher Ed story shows that students with disabilities continue to need effective advocates for their educational access rights. Schools often do their part and more, as the above story reflects. But schools sometimes don’t do their part.
When a school unreasonably denies a student the accommodations that federal and state law require, the student may need attorney advisor representation. Schools, employers, businesses, and other organizations also often need attorney advice on advice on ADA compliance.
If you need advice and advocacy relating to disability issues and rights, premier advocacy services are available to you from Joseph Lento and the Lento Law Group’s premier Team. The Lento Law Group has successfully represented individuals nationwide with a variety of disability and other educational access and program issues.
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