I think tptacek's point was that you don't know enough to call the decision "a really bad mistake on their part". Saying it doesn't work for you, though, is totally fair.
I think my point is that education should be as accessible as possible and that any barrier is too much. There will always be those that are left out inadvertently or because their numbers are not significant enough to be taken into account.
Better to play it safe and to open that door as wide as possible.
