Donald Gross Sr.

Donald Helsman 
Nov. 15, 1992 
Donald A. Helsman, 77, Of Allenwood, Rd 1, Died Sunday In The Evangelical 
Community Hospital, Lewisburg.

Thursday, November 19, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 6A QUICK WORDS: POST HANDICAPPED 





STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Penn State's Hershey Medical Center said
Wednesday it no longer opposed a bill originally introduced to help a
handicapped honor student get into medical school. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The university changed its opinion, 10 days after The Associated Press
reported the school was the only one of the state's seven medical colleges on
record against the bill to broaden the state's fair education law. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "When this legislation was introduced, there was concern that the bill, if
enacted, would require medical colleges in Pennsylvania to revise their
admissions standards which include technical standards set forth in national
guidelines," spokeswoman Deborah Saline said in a statement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Each of the state's medical schools denied admission to Jim Post, a
Wilkes-Barre quadriplegic who graduated with honors in King's College's
pre-med program last May. He was the only one of 19 students not to get into
medical school. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Post has been a quadriplegic since 1985, when he hurt himself diving in
shallow water while working on his Boy Scout Eagle badge. He graduated second
in his class in May and now attends the University of Scranton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hershey's opposition was based on its fear that the state could one day
force the school to relax its technical standards, its lobbyist said earlier
this month. The bill, if enacted, would allow schools to impose standards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Federal law says schools must give access to the handicapped as long as
academic integrity isn't compromised. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They had questions they wanted to raise. Those questions have been
answered," Saline said in an interview. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The bill's proponents say changing the Fair Education Opportunity Act would
give Post's arguments more weight on successive attempts to enter medical
school. He also could use them in a civil suit, if he were to choose to file
one. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hershey and the state's other medical schools require its students to use
hands-on experience in their education. Post has said he wants to specialize
in psychology or radiology -- areas that don't require "hands-on" work after
medical school. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Human Relations Commission supports the bill, saying it imposes no new
requirements on schools and simply brings the fair education law in line with
other state and federal statutes.

Medical School Won't Oppose Law That Would Help Handicapped Local Man 
Hershey Medical Center Was Concerned Law That 
Would Help Quadraplegic 
Jim Post Would Require 
Schools To Change Academic And Technical Standards

Medical School Won't Oppose Law That Would Help Handicapped Local Man Hershey Medical Center Was Concerned Law That Would Help Quadraplegic Jim Post Would Require Schools To Change Academic And Technical Standards