Micah Fialka-Feldman Wins Fight to Live in Oakland University Dorm

Micah Fialka-Feldman, a student at Oakland University, moved into Vandenberg Residence Hall on January 5, 2010 after a two-year court fight with the university. Micah, who has a developmental disability, has participated in the university's Post-Secondary Transitions program, or OPTIONS, a three year program that allows students to audit classes and participate in campus life in a non-degree track. Oakland's policy has been to allow only degree seeking students to live in dormitories, but on December 23, 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Duggan ruled that Micah should be allowed to live on campus. The university relented for this semester, even though it plans to appeal the ruling. Micah's court fight has been documented in national news outlets and stands to create momentum in other postsecondary programs for residential accommodations for students with developmental disabilities. 
 
Micah's mother, Janice Fialka, acknowledges Judy Heumann and her compatriots, who sat-in for nearly four weeks at the Federal Building in San Francisco in April 1977 to demand that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act be implemented. She says that the act was the basis to defend Micah's right to move into the dorm. 
 
For a more detailed report on Micah's journey, please follow the related links listed below.

Related Links—

The Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/article/20091228/METRO/912280389/1408/local/Learning-disabled-Oakland-student-wins-fight-over-dorm-room

The Oakland Post
http://oaklandpostonline.com/2010/01/05/campus/courtroom-to-dorm-room/

Micah’s Web Site
http://www.throughthesamedoor.com/