A federal judge in Detroit has denied a cognitively impaired Oakland University student's request for a preliminary injunction that would allow him live in a school residence hall. Micah Fialka-Feldman, 24, of Huntington Woods resident, who has been attending classes at Oakland University since 2003, takes public transportation to the Rochester Hills campus. The three-plus-hour round trip prompted Fialka-Feldman to apply for student housing, but school officials said he wasn't eligible, explaining that student housing was for those in degree-granting programs.
To read The Detroit Free Press article, click here.
FROM DECEMBER 2008: A disability rights group has sued Oakland University in Rochester Mich., contending that it violated federal law by denying a student's request to live in student housing. The Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service filed the complaint on behalf of Micah Fialka-Feldman, a 24-year-old student who has a mild cognitive impairment that hinders his ability to read and write. Through a special program called OPTIONS, Fialka-Feldman has sat in on courses, volunteered on campus and participated in clubs. Last fall, Fialka-Feldman was approved to live in a residence hall on campus. But before his move-in day, the lawsuit maintains, the university withdrew the offer, saying Fialka-Feldman is not eligible to live on campus.
To read The Detroit News article, click here.
