Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0603100180mar10" target="_blank">http://www.chicagotribune.com/ news/local/chi-0603100180mar10</a>,1,7954861.story >>Mayra Ramirez scored an A in driver's education this year, but sitting through the 10-week class felt like a bad joke to the Curie Metropolitan High School sophomore. Ramirez is blind. She knows she's never going to drive. She can think of a lot of things she'd rather be studying than rules of the road, but she didn't have a choice. Chicago Public Schools requires all sophomores to take the class and pass a written road-rules exam--a graduation requirement that affects about 30 blind and visually impaired students in specialized programs at Curie and Payton College Preparatory High. "In other classes, you don't really feel different because you can do the work other people do," said Ramirez, 16. "But in driver's ed, it does give us the feeling we're different. In a way, it brought me down, because it reminds me of something I can't do."<<
Originally Posted By imadisneygal I have absolutely no problem with schools requiring every student to take a class to learn the rules of the road and the rules for being a pedestrian - which is included in driver's ed. I think it's important for every person to know the rules that drivers must follow. She will likely be walking in her town at some time, and she'll want to cross the street. She'll need to know who has the right of way in her city, the jaywalking laws, seatbelt laws if she's ever a passenger, etc. I understand that this one student feels that she's being singled out because she's blind but personally I believe there'd be more uproar if she was denied the ability to take the class because of her disability. There'd be a lawsuit about equality and how students with disabilities were being discriminated against. Just because a class is a graduation requirement doesn't mean that you'll actually use every bit of the information in your real life. It's very important for all people, especially bullet-proof teenagers, to know the rules that drivers must follow. JMHO.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer I thought it was good that the school district in the article would let blind students waive that graduation requirement pretty easily. Seems like a non-story.
Originally Posted By SuperDry Re #2, there's lots more taught in Driver's Ed: the dangers of drinking and driving (such as how little alcohol is needed for some people to become impaired). The blind person may be in a position someday to discourage a friend from driving when they shouldn't, or be in a position where they have to decide not to ride with an impaired driver. In addition to seatbelt laws, there's also the notion of why wearing seatbelts is important in the first place. So although headline grabbing in a tabliod sense, I don't think it's unreasonable for a blind person to take driver's ed and apply the material to their own situation.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal ^^^^I totally agree! I was typing quickly in response to post #1. There are many reasons that it's reasonable and even necessary for all people to learn these rules. I don't think the student should be able to waive the class.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal ^^^^I answered that like it was a serious question. I think it was...
