The mother of a child with special needs, Ms. Benedetti learned firsthand about rejection at the school house door. Determined to fight for equal access to public schools for children with disabilities, Ms. Benedetti attended law school at night while caring for her child during the day. A 1996 graduate of John F. Kennedy University School of Law, Ms. Benedetti came to DRA with an Equal Justice Fellowship from the National Associaton of Public Interest Law. As her fellowship project, Ms. Benedetti brought and won a desegregation class action on behalf of 5,000 children with disabilities in Contra Costa County. The