It was hear-tening to learn the other day that a totally blind teacher had been chosen “professor of the year” by the Brigham Young University student body. Students from each cf the 11 colleges made nominations and n committee of student body officers and faculty made the final selection. The honored teacher ls Dr. Rlchard 0. Cowan, instructor in rsligion. He gained s Ph.D degree from Stanford University in 1961, and is husband and father. For a person to rise above s severe handicap to achieve success is always heart-warming. Given si chance to apply their talents in fields in which they are qualified, persons with physical defects time and time again have established records of dependability and dedication as employees and citizens. Such persons, whose efforts certainly are to be applauded,-are found in many professions–business, law, medicine, the trades, and even in education although xncny of the Utah school districts generally have been slow to employ persons with physical deficiencies. Brigham Young University has o, record of employing many physi-ea.l.ly-handicapped persons, but the national slogan of “Employ the Physically – Handicapped” seems to have made libtle impression with some superintendents and school boards. Here in Utah County, a wellqualified woman teacher with experience in another district and a record of admirable scholastic and civic sttainments was rejected ostensibly because of the impression her physical defect might make on the students. In another district in tihis county a teacher was turned down because she was on crutches. Still another was rejected because of a. malfomnstion ccf the h-ands even though she was capable of holding a pencil, according to the statement of a school official. Possibly the respective superintendents and boards had supplementary reasons for their decisions. Still, it appears those who manage our- school districts might be a. bit too sensitive to s potential employees physical deficiencies. Some school districts elsewhere seem to have a more liberal policy. Remember Jill Kinmont, the girl who was paralyzed from the neck down in a skiing accident several Years ago at Alta? Today she is a fourth grade teacher in the Mercer Island School District in the Seattle ares. Although wheelchair-bound. she ‘. apparently manages satisfactorily and has the support of her chil. dren judging by a feature article . in the Seattle Post-lntelligericsr which noted: “Her work in both Island Park and Lakeridge Elementary Schools is a. most striklng example of s. truly cooperative ‘ student-teacher relationship.” Sen. Wallace F. Bennett has noted that at present there are no provisions under federal law requiring a school board to hire a ‘ handicapped person. “Although such provisions are on the books for the protection of racial minorlties and perhaps various religions, such protection hos not yet been written for the handicapped.” Although epparendy there is no national policy on hiring of teachers with physical defects, there are many districts which do , so quite freely. A survey of 95 , school systems in the Arlington, Va. county public schools indicated that only 17 per cent of the sys- ‘ term had a definite policy against Q appointment of teachers with serious or conspicuous handicaps -2tnd only 3 per cent had such a. policy with respect to less serious or less conspicuous handicaps. Fifty-five per cent of the 95 I systems, when surveyed, were , presently employing classroom ‘ teachers considered to have seri- ‘ ous or conspicuous physical handicaps and 62 per cent of the 95 systems were presently employing classroom teachers with less serious handicaps. 4 Here in Utah, some teachers wi-th handicaps are hired, of . course. But we believe the policy could well ‘be made more liberal. One thing seems certain. The school districts either could adopt s more liberal policy in the em- . ployment of the physically handicapped or the colleges and universities should discourage any student with a physical defect or abnormality from entering the field of education. For a capable, intelligent stu- dent to qualify as a teacher, then be informed a. school district doesn’-t employ persons with the particular physical defect he has, , is disappointing and frustrating, to say the least. It can mean a whole career shattered. In America. we like to think there is equal opportunity for all. Let’s not discriminate against the person who has an extra burden to carry in life. li he’s qualified, give him a chance to prove, ss Dr. Richard O. Cowan and so many others have proved, that he can rise above a handicap to succeed and win the respect and honor of his fellow men.