美国国家公共电台 NPR A Girl And Her Service Dog Head To The Supreme Court

A Girl And Her Service Dog Head To The Supreme¹ Court

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And the U.S. Supreme Court today takes up the case of a girl, her service dog and a school that barred the dog from its premises³. The legal issue in the case is pretty dry, but the facts are not, as NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports.

NINA TOTENBERG, BYLINE⁴: Ehlena Fry was born with cerebral⁵ palsy, a condition that significantly limited her motor skills but not her cognitive⁶ skills. So when she was 5, her pediatrician recommended her parents get a service dog to help her be more independent. Family and friends threw fundraisers to scrape together the $13,000 needed for the right dog.

And in 2009, Ehlena and her parents went to Ohio to train for two weeks with their new Goldendoodle, a cuddly⁷, big, white pup named Wonder. The Frys had talked to Ehlena's school about the dog, but when she brought Wonder to school with her, she was told the service dog was not allowed.

School officials have refused to talk about the case, but their legal position is that, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the district was already paying for an aide to help Ehlena physically⁸ in school and that the dog was unnecessary. Ehlena's parents wanted the dog to be with her so that she could perform more functions by herself, grow stronger and more independent.

Wonder was trained to hit handicap buttons for her to open and close doors, to pick up items she dropped, and perhaps most important, to help her make transfers from a chair to a walker or from a walker to a toilet seat.

STACY FRY: One of our whole goals in getting Wonder for her was that, eventually, the more she was able to use Wonder and navigate⁹ her environment, that she would need the aide less and less.

TOTENBERG: That's Stacy Fry, mother of five, including Ehlena. Early in their dispute, after mediation¹⁰, the school agreed to a 30-day trial, but Stacey says the dog was not permitted to sit with Ehlena in class or go with her to the lunch room.

FRY: During the trial period, there was so much animosity.

TOTENBERG: Indeed, she says, that Ehlena and Wonder were required to demonstrate the toilet transfer with adults from the school watching, an experience that Stacy says was devastating¹¹ and traumatic for her daughter. After the 30-day trial, the school returned to its no-dog policy. Although Wonder is a hypoallergenic breed, the school said, among other things, that two children and one teacher were allergic¹² to dogs and that one child had a dog phobia because he'd previously¹³ been attacked by a dog.

So the Frys homeschooled Ehlena and then transferred her to another school district, where she and Wonder were welcomed with open arms. Wonder went to class with Ehlena and to lunch. He was in the staff section of the yearbook. He had his own ID card. He was in the class picture. And, says Stacy Fry, the relationship between dog and kid was integrated into the school seamlessly.

FRY: It was amazing, and they were so accepting, and it was such a teaching tool for the other kids.

TOTENBERG: The Frys eventually sued the old school district under the Americans With Disabilities Act and other federal laws. They sought unspecified money damages for the emotional distress¹⁴ they say their daughter suffered before the transfer to a new school district. Ehlena's mother says that the suit is not about money but to forge a path for other children with service dogs.

FRY: So that they don't have to have what happened to my daughter happen to their child. That is success for us.

TOTENBERG: Represented by the ACLU, the Frys want the Supreme Court to declare that when disabled children are prevented from having qualified¹⁵ service animals at school, they and their parents can go directly to federal court. But the school district, backed by the National School Boards Association, argues that to allow such suits could cost school districts millions of dollars.

They note that 6 million disabled children are covered by the law that guarantees individualized special-ed for disabled children, and that law requires that parents exhaust administrative¹⁶ appeals before going to court. So far, the Frys have lost in the lower courts, as have parents in most parts of the country.

But today, their case is before the Supreme Court. Ehlena will be there with Wonder. The Goldendoodle, after seven years of hard mobility¹⁷ work, has retired¹⁸ to a pet's life. Ehlena, now 12, is in middle school.

FRY: He helped her bridge that gap. Working with him helped her learn how to not need him as much.

TOTENBERG: A decision in their case is expected by summer. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 cerebral   

adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的

参考例句：

• Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
• He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。

6 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

7 cuddly   

adj.抱着很舒服的，可爱的

参考例句：

• The beautiful crib from Mom and Dad is so cuddly.爸爸妈妈送的漂亮婴儿床真舒服。
• You can't call a hedgehog cuddly.你不能说刺猬逗人喜爱。

8 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

9 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

10 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

11 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

12 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

13 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

14 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

15 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

16 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

17 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

18 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。