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Clients of the DRC are primarily parents of children with disabilities who are seeking special education services within Texas public schools. Many clients live in under-resourced rural communities. The majority are minorities. As a student in the DRC, you can expect to travel to visit your clients.
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You will draft civil complaints, develop expert testimony, serve as lead mediator on cases, and try cases when necessary. Through this model, you will develop skills common to both litigation (drafting, discovery, witness prep) and transactional (negotiation, line-editing, creative problem-solving) practices. The DRC emphasizes the art of making the law accessible to nonlawyer parents.
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The Disability Rights Clinic meets once per week for two hours. Grading is on a pass/fail basis. There is no final exam or paper. A significant portion of class time is devoted to understanding and discussing substantive education law and how it plays out in Texas school districts. Each week students deepen their understanding of special education law by participating in weekly case rounds.
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Students should expect to spend 10-15 hours per week on clinic work, including class time. DRC students work in teams on one to three cases over the course of the semester. Cases are often selected for students depending on their areas of interest.
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No. The aim of this clinic is to educate participating students about disability law and to enable them to litigate special education cases as pro bono matters. Some students have been educators, some have experienced discrimination or fought it with family members or friends. These experiences can make for rewarding interactions in class and with clients, but are by no means required.