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The Daily OrangeJoint degree in law, disability offered
By Daniel Rivero
Posted: 2/14/03, 2:44 AM EST Section: News
Since she was 12 years old, Cindy Smith knew that her goal in life was to help the legally handicapped. Growing up with a stepsister who has a physical disability and a mother who teaches special education only inspired her to seek the delivery vessel for that destination.
In college she explored the options. Her first instinct was to be a teacher, so she studied speech communication — that didn’t work. After her first year, she realized her interests didn’t lie in being a clinician, so she switched to psychology.
A year-and-a-half ago she began looking at law schools, but the majority didn’t have the coursework that interested her.
It wasn’t until she spoke with Syracuse University professors last April about their future plans that she heard about a dual degree program in law and disability studies.
Smith hadn’t heard about such program because no program ever existed before.
That is until now. Next fall, SU’s College of Law and School of Education will launch the country’s first ever dual degree program, where students will earn both a J.D. and a master's degree in education specializing in disability studies in three years.
“Many of the other law schools had only one course in disability,” said Smith, a first-year student in the College of Law. “I was always going to get a degree in law and if I had to go to another school and get a separate degree in disability studies, I would do that too.”
Next year Smith will enroll in SU’s program.
“The idea for this program goes back three or four years when we first started having discussions,” said Steven Taylor, professor and coordinator of disability studies at the School of Education. ”I talked about collaboration with Professor Arlene Kanter from the law school, who had a background in disability law a number of years before coming to SU. She also directs a public interest law clinic and has represented people with disability in court cases.”
In college she explored the options. Her first instinct was to be a teacher, so she studied speech communication — that didn’t work. After her first year, she realized her interests didn’t lie in being a clinician, so she switched to psychology.
A year-and-a-half ago she began looking at law schools, but the majority didn’t have the coursework that interested her.
It wasn’t until she spoke with Syracuse University professors last April about their future plans that she heard about a dual degree program in law and disability studies.
Smith hadn’t heard about such program because no program ever existed before.
That is until now. Next fall, SU’s College of Law and School of Education will launch the country’s first ever dual degree program, where students will earn both a J.D. and a master's degree in education specializing in disability studies in three years.
“Many of the other law schools had only one course in disability,” said Smith, a first-year student in the College of Law. “I was always going to get a degree in law and if I had to go to another school and get a separate degree in disability studies, I would do that too.”
Next year Smith will enroll in SU’s program.
“The idea for this program goes back three or four years when we first started having discussions,” said Steven Taylor, professor and coordinator of disability studies at the School of Education. ”I talked about collaboration with Professor Arlene Kanter from the law school, who had a background in disability law a number of years before coming to SU. She also directs a public interest law clinic and has represented people with disability in court cases.”
