Earlier this week, Greg Oguss, NALSWD’s Chief Information Officer, interviewed Amelia Wallrich, a University of Illinois student who is having trouble getting LSAT accommodations from the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Recently, Amelia appeared on the PBS Newshour to discuss disability rights. In the process, she has emerged as an eloquent spokesperson for the cause of fair access for people with disabilities. Here’s her conversation with NALSWD:

Greg:  Amelia, I know you’re planning on going to law school but have faced a struggle getting LSAC to grant you the accommodations that you requested for the LSAT. Can you share some of the specifics with us? What have you asked for and what has their response been?

Amelia: I started the process towards the end of January for the February LSAT. It turns out I was past the deadline so I shifted everything for the June LSAT, which was better because I hadn’t realized just how long it would take.  For the June LSAT, I requested double extended time for all portions of the exams. I have limited movement in my fingers, wrists, elbows, etc. so I write much more slowly.  The extended time has been the accommodation I have always used to (for lack of a better word) “compensate” on standardized tests. I submitted IEPs, ACT/ AP accommodations, doctor’s notes, basically everything short of a blood test lol, stating this was the best accommodation for me. Instead, LSAC approved me for a scribe, 15 extra minutes for diagramming and double time on the writing section. I have never used a scribe for any type of testing and really had no idea how I would do, or if it would enhance my disability on the LSAT instead of mitigating it. I wrote them several emails but only received one line answers in response. In the end, I decided to appeal the accommodations a little over a month before the June LSAT by submitting another doctor’s evaluation. A few days before the test they told me I was still going to have to use a scribe. Using the scribe in June was a complete disaster.  It was an added distraction to the test-taking process, made worse by the fact the scribe was completely unprofessional. The result was the lowest test score I had ever received (gauging by my practice tests). I have decided to re-take the LSAT in October and am appealing the decision again.  I am still requesting extended time with the caveat that it be double time if I have to use the regular Scantron or 50% extra time if I’m permitted to use the alternate answer sheet.

Greg: That sounds incredibly unfair. Speaking from personal experience, I know how uncommunicative LSAC can be when you’re trying to meet their demands with respect to requesting accommodations. It seems like schools are much more responsive, in general, than LSAC or the Bar.

Amelia:  Yeah, I totally agree.  That’s been the biggest frustration.  The fact that no one will ever talk to me, and the lack of transparency in general.  I’m trying extremely hard not to have to take it with a scribe again. Ideally, they will see the light and approve my appeal and just give me the extended time.  I am planning for the worst case scenario though, and I may decide just to forgo the scribe.  I am not sure if I am allowed to pick which approved accommodations I can use. If I forgo the scribe, does that mean I have to also forgo the extended time on the writing section?  But I am really opposed to having to use the scribe again.  It made me do so much worse.

Greg:  That’s a really interesting point. It seems like it can be very limiting having to abide only by their decision responding to specific accommodations you ask for vs. being able to choose between several options, which seems more equitable. On a related note, I saw your appearance on the PBS Newshour segment ons disability rights. I was wondering if this appearance might have a positive effect on your efforts to get LSAT accommodations…though it sounds like it hasn’t yet, at any rate. I was also wondering how the appearance came about?

Amelia:  Over the summer, through the American Association of People with Disabilities, I was placed as a Congressional intern in Senator Durbin’s office.  Andy Imparato (the head of AAPD and the other guy in the PBS interview) was asked by Judy Woodruff to talk about the anniversary of the ADA. Andy suggested it would be good idea to have a young person’s perspective on the anniversary — someone who had grown up with all its benefits. My name came up as someone from the internship class who could speak well on the topic.  It was a great opportunity.  I hadn’t expected her to bring up the LSAT. I had mentioned it in the pre-interview as an example of barriers we still face.  I was glad I had the chance to talk about it. I was trying hard to sound balanced about it and not too confrontational in the hopes someone from LSAC would see it  and recognize I’m a student just like everyone else and that I’m not trying to get an unfair advantage. I’m just trying to showcase my abilities like every able-bodied student taking the test.  But I’m not sure they even saw it, so who knows if it will really have any effect on their process. The point of bringing up the LSAT in the interview was not to point out the LSAC people as “bad guys” or horrible able-ists. I really just wanted them to know there is a serious problem with their accommodations process that they should work with the disability community to resolve. I genuinely believe they have the intention of giving students with disabilities fair access. Their attempts right now are just completely ineffective.

Greg:  For what it’s worth, you did come across as very balanced as opposed to…ideological, I guess. I agree that LSAC probably has good intentions, though there’s a real disconnect nonetheless. Switching topics slightly, what was it like interning for Senator Durbin in DC? Could you say something about the attitude of the people you worked with toward accommodations and/or people with disabilities?

Amelia:  It was a great experience.  I learned more in DC than I ever could have learned in a classroom. The staff was great.  They’ve had people with disabilities working in Senator Durbin’s offices before so I never felt out of place because of my disability.  They made sure I had all necessary accommodations and were very welcoming and accepting of the disability community in general.

Greg: That is great to hear. I have to ask you another question — probably the question that law students get sick of more than any other — but I have to ask it nonetheless — what kind of law are you interested in practicing? And what made you interested in law?

Amelia: As cliched as it sounds, law school and being a lawyer have always been in my plans.  I guess I’m lucky in the sense that I’ve always known what I wanted to do with my life.  Even when I’ve thought about different ideal jobs, it always comes back to needing a law degree to get them.  In terms of type of law, my typical answer has been international disability rights law.  But I’ve been re-evaluating that a lot since this summer. I want to advocate for the disability community, but several community leaders I met this summer explained you do not have to be in the disability rights field to be an advocate for the disability community.  Their advice was to pick what you love and be really successful and you’ll help the disability community in that way. Don’t narrow yourself.  So I’m trying to take that advice to heart, keep my options open, and not make a final decision until I’ve learned about a few other areas of law as well.

Greg: That’s good advice. Law students are notorious for always wanting to “keep their options open,” but probably for good reason. I have one final question. Will you help NALSWD with advocacy efforts once you’re in law school? You’re an amazing spokesperson!

Amelia:  Definitely!!  I’ve been keeping up with the blog, seems like a great organization.  I had the chance to hang out a bit with Beth Kolbe this summer in DC (editor’s note: NALSWD’s current Vice President and a 2L at Stanford Law). She encouraged me to get involved once I’m in law school…

Greg: Good, because we’re looking forward to having you involved! I really hope LSAC decides to give you a fair chance on the LSAT. I know you would make a great law student and a great lawyer. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk today and good luck!

Amelia:  Thank you for taking the time! I really appreciate it.

Below is a report from Kathryn Carroll on a disability rights exchange program she participated in this summer in Costa Rica. The program is open to students 25 and under in case anyone is interested in participating next year.

“So Much Time and So Little To Do… Wait a Minute, Strike That, Reverse It”:

U.S./Costa Rica Cross-Cultural Disability Rights Leadership Exchange Program

by Kathryn Carroll

Whenever people ask me what I did in Costa Rica for two weeks this June, I have trouble describing it in ten words or less. (The name of the program itself was eleven words long.) The activities and learning experiences I had during the exchange program helped me develop as a person, promoted disability awareness, and bolstered disability rights activism. It was also one of the most chock-full two weeks I’ve ever had.

The program fulfilled a multitude of functions that have manifested themselves in my life. I was able to learn about a new culture through my gracious hosts. The other delegates and I enjoyed experimenting with new foods while also studying basic Spanish, American Sign Language and Costa Rican Sign Language. Each delegate had an experience with disability, which allowed me to connect instantly with others and share experiences. As delegates, we visited organizations which focused on different aspects and types of disability. Thus, I was able to become more knowledgeable about pan-disability issues and experience. Just the other day, for example, I used some of this knowledge when a person who is deaf started a conversation with me and I had no problem transitioning into a conversation using an interpreter. Each delegate in the program was from the vicinity of New York City. We formed strong friendships that likely won’t be forgotten as we return to our lives in New York. The connections we made will serve the purpose of disability activism in New York and elsewhere. In fact, these connections are already serving this purpose.  Recently, I met up with two other delegates in Chicago to attend the Disability Pride Parade where I got to meet local activists and learn from them. Finally, through site visits and other activities, the other delegates and I were all able to gain an understanding of disability rights in Costa Rica. While meeting wonderful people from abroad, we asked questions of the leaders of disability organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, and medical institutions. We were also asked questions in return. Even though Costa Ricans referred to their own country as part of the “third world,” the attitude towards disability of many of the people whom we met along our journey places them squarely in the “first world.” There was a marked desire to see change for more inclusion. Costa Rica’s peaceful history and growing economy have given it the chance to work on disability rights. The country has laws that demand inclusion of people with disabilities much like the United States, but there is still much work to be done.

This exchange program gave me more than I could possibly relate here. While providing a doorway to a new culture, it fostered networking and friendship opportunities with some amazing people. I hope this program encourages others to study abroad, learn about disability rights and be active participants of their world.

Below is a report from the National Council on Disability Summit 2010 by NALSWD member Kathryn Carroll and Anmol Bhatia, a graduate student at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, both of whom attended the summit.

Report from the NCD Summit 2010

By Anmol Bhatia and Kathryn Carroll

From July 25-28, 450 consumers with disabilities, disability community stakeholders and representatives from Congress and federal agencies gathered in Washington to provide recommendations for disability policy for the next decade and beyond. The event was coordinated by the National Council on Disability (NCD), a federal agency composed of fifteen members who provide advice to the President, Congress and executive branch agencies with the task of promoting “policies, programs, practices and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities” (NCD website).

The theme of the Summit, “Living, Learning and Earning,” was designed to launch a national dialogue on disability policies and programs in the 21^st century. The summit also celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A few lucky participants were able to visit the White House to witness President Obama sign an executive order stating that the United States Federal Government will be a model employer in hiring people with disabilities. Anmol was one of the lucky few; “It was really exciting to be at the South Lawn, the very place where the ADA was signed into law 20 years earlier.”

At the summit, participants engaged in dialogue and roundtable discussions to identify emerging opportunities to improve the coordination of disability policies, programs, and advocacy efforts as well as to energize collaborative networks to guide future disability policy. According to Jonathan Young, the Chairman of the NCD, the summit theme “emerged from my resolute belief that our greatest challenge in disability policy involves coordination across many silos – congressional committees of jurisdiction; federal agencies; and all levels of government. Rather than discuss separate policy ‘tracks’ as NCD has done in the past [housing, telecommunications, transportation, education, etc.], I am committed to integrating the silos to meet the real-life challenges of living, learning, and earning.”

Beneath the surface of these challenges, attitudinal change towards disability is taking place, and using the right language is crucial. One speaker explained it this way, quoting Mark Twain; “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. It’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” Another recurring theme was that people need to be able to govern their own lives and make their own choices. On this subject, Mazen Basrawi, Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice, said “We need to give people the maximum choice possible so they can reach their maximum dream possible.”

As participants in the Summit, we found the discussion interesting and the atmosphere open to suggestions from all participants. The eager participation of stakeholders in the plenary sessions was very encouraging. At one instance, a prominent Conservative rabbi asked the National Council for guidance on how to prepare religious centers for the possibility of people with disabilities seeking refuge there during disasters. Making emergencies preparedness cognizant of people with disabilities is policy goal for the future as well, and community participation is welcomed by the Council. Kathryn, as a new law student, felt that her input might not be regarded as important at the lunch roundtable. Nevertheless, when she was invited to share her opinions about the greatest challenges facing young people with disabilities, she found her co-participants taking notes. As a person who has traveled abroad several times, Kathryn also appreciated the speech given by Susan Sygall, the CEO of Mobility International USA, an organization that arranges international exchanges for disabled students and professionals. Anmol feels that the opportunities MIUSA is providing will give Americans an appreciation for how fortunate people in the United States really are. “Living in India, I have witnessed the challenges a blind person faces… it is really beneficial for Americans to experience the way life is for disabled individuals outside the United States.”

The goal of NCD was to continue a national dialogue started at the summit. To this end, the NCD has launched a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/National-Council-on-Disability/131414496898167?v=wall&ref=ts) which will allow those who were not able to participate to provide input on the same questions posed to the participants and continue the dialogue. According to Mr. Young, “this Summit is an important milestone, but only one step in a process that will continue after the summit.” As participants of the summit, we encourage you to take advantage of the Facebook page and provide your personal input. The event was an excellent start for dialogue on an important topic, but the work continues and much more must be done.

National Council on Disability Website: http://www.ncd.gov/

U. of I. Opens User-Friendly Dorm for Students with Disabilities

The University of Illinois writes a new syllabus for standards in student housing.

Nugent Hall opened this week, marking a new milestone in the university’s commitment to students with disabilities.

The dorm houses Beckwith-supported residents with physical disabilities on the first floor. The suite-style rooms include a remote control ceiling lift designed to transfer a student from bed to an in-room bathroom. It’s the first dorm in the country to make the technology a standard feature, according to the Daily Illini.

Each room also includes programmable controls for lights, temperature and window blinds, as well as emergency power outlets in the case of a power outage.

About 150 students without disabilities will live on the other floors, with that number expected to expand to about 500 students when the residence hall is completed in two years.

Nugent Hall is the first new dorm on the Champaign campus in more than 40 years. It’s construction comes at a time when the University is raising tuition by 9.5-percent for incoming freshman for the 2010-2011 school year.

Nugent Hall is named in honor of Tim Nugent. Nugent founded the Division of Resources and Educational Services in 1948.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38770777/ns/local_news-chicago_il/

Attorney General Eric Holder has announced a series of outreach efforts that the Department of Justice is undertaking to increase the number of job applicants with disabilities at the agency. The following press release is obviously great news for everyone on the job hunt and, though a bit long, is packed with potentially useful info.

INTRODUCTION

This is Ollie Cantos, Member of the Attorney General’s Committee on the Employment of Persons with Disabilities, sending this email under the authorization of Chairman Fred Parmenter.

On July 20, 2009, we issued a comprehensive email, containing numerous resources to help arm students and job-seekers with disabilities as they endeavor to work here at the U.S. Department of Justice either as employees or interns.  It was in response to the memorandum issued by Attorney General Eric Holder on May 27, 2009, calling for increased hiring of persons with disabilities throughout the Department.  Since that time, numerous people have contacted the Committee; and, we continue to work with each of them to secure opportunities to join in our Department’s noteworthy work.

Concurrent with all of this, Attorney General Holder has created a Diversity Council, composed of component principals and specifically charged with the task of increasing the richness of talent and ability of qualified men and women from diverse backgrounds within the Department’s career civil service personnel.  Of significance here, this specifically included persons with disabilities.  This Council, which reports directly to Attorney General Holder, is headed by the Associate Attorney General, and the Council’s Executive Director is Channing Phillips, Deputy Associate Attorney General, a new and permanent position created by the Attorney General to work on a continual basis to advance diversity and full inclusion throughout every Department component.  Further, the Attorney General felt that employment of additional qualified persons with disabilities throughout the Department was so important that, on July 21, 2010, at the event aptly named Justice For All, held on Capitol Hill and hosted by the American Association of People with Disabilities, he announced the creation of the post of Special Assistant for Disability Resources, who is to work on a full-time basis to advance the disability-related goals of the Diversity Council and who reports directly to Deputy Associate Attorney General Phillips (see http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2010/ag-speech-100721.html).

On July 26, 2010, at a White House event that celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act into law, President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order, renewing the commitment originally made by President Bill Clinton to hire an additional 100,000 persons with disabilities into Federal Government ranks (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-increasing-federal-employment-individuals-with-disabilities).  This serves to bolster the work of the Department even further, building upon our being the first Cabinet-level agency in this Administration to call for increased hiring of qualified persons with disabilities.

Today, we renew the call for all students and job-seekers with disabilities to consider our Department as their preferred place of work.  We need attorneys and non-attorneys to apply for positions for which they are qualified and in which they are interested.  We also ask that such individuals who choose to self-identify disability on a voluntary basis contact the Attorney General’s Committee by calling (202) 616-3030 [voice/relay/VRS] in order to receive supplementary instructions on how to ensure that their applications be given additional consideration.  The Committee will work individually with applicants with self-identified disabilities.  Those wishing to reach the Committee by email should send inquiries to me at Ollie.Cantos@usdoj.gov with the subject line “Interest in Working at DOJ.”

On another front, the Committee is actively continuing to build a resume bank to which disability program managers and hiring managers may refer when proactively seeking candidates with disabilities to fill existing and pending vacancies.  The Committee is also actively lending support to fellow federal agencies by sharing information, processes, and work product as a way to promote enhanced government-wide effectiveness as we all come together in a unified way to carry out the President’s Executive Order.

We want you to be among our latest success stories, so please do not delay in getting in touch with us.  We are eager to be of support.  In order to provide the kind of substantive materials that will meaningfully assist you as you move forward, we are including four attachments.  The first is an accessible PDF version of the Attorney General’s memorandum dated May 27, 2009, which was described above.  The second is a comprehensive article that provides dozens of employment-related resources that may assist students and job-seekers with disabilities and their advocates in learning about opportunities for refining their focus with career goals, finding and securing internships in all sectors, and going to or returning to work in the non-profit, for-profit, and governmental sectors.  Third, you will find general information about the process for becoming a federal employee as put together by the Partnership for Public Service (also see http://www.brockport.edu/career/temp/fedgovstudentpacket.pdf). Here, you will learn key information, including what to expect at every stage of the selection process and what should be included in a “federal resume” which is, by nature, different from what is typically submitted when seeking employment in the private sector.  Though this publication is geared toward students, the information would also be of interest to others as well.  Finally, for those interested in serving as part of the Department’s Bureau of Prisons (BOP), we are including important reference information.

Supplementing all of this, below, you will find details about attorney and non-attorney job vacancies within the Justice Department.  Since these webpages are updated regularly, it is strongly advisable to bookmark these for future and ongoing reference.  To learn about the areas of law practiced by each Department component, visit: http://www.justice.gov/oarm/images/practice.pdf

Whether you are a person with a disability or are networked with such individuals, please forward this email far and wide in order to maximize opportunities for people with disabilities to become an integral part of our Justice Department team by filling jobs for which they are individually qualified.  Please spread this information to your email network; post it on websites; include this in organizational publications; share these resources via Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter; and otherwise do all that you can to help us infuse this Department with more people with disabilities than have ever worked here before!

As I have spoken with members of the disability constituency who have come to us with the desire of joining our Justice Department family, some who felt a level of despair have said that they are on the verge of giving up entirely.  They essentially have felt like saying, “Why bother?  It’s no use.”  To such individuals, we ask them not to give up hope.  Our Department is actively seeking talent from a wide variety of sources, including from among the disability community.  Now, more than ever, is the time to buckle down, to put your best forward, and to move ahead with an eager anticipation for what the future holds.  One person even recently said to me, “Ollie, it’s tough in this economy to find a job even generally, much less if you have a disability.”  My answer, “In THIS economy, especially in light of how we are looking for great talent and as the affirmative employment of people with disabilities is supported at the very highest levels, now is PRECISELY the time to shine.  The tough economic climate demands the kind of talents and abilities that are an integral part of who you are, therefore placing you in a rather unique position to pitch what you have to offer in adding value to our work.”  Read what we are about at http://www.Justice.gov and, as you find vacancies that match what you may contribute, give us a call.

Thank you for all your help in getting the word out.  Your efforts will most definitely make a real difference in people’s lives.

Supplementing this announcement, for information about “Schedule A” Hiring Authority, found at 5 C.F.R. §213.310(u), which proactively facilitates expeditious hiring of individuals with disabilities into the Federal Government at all levels, it is important to download, read, and distribute important publications that have been put together by the Leading in the Employment of Americans with Disabilities (LEAD) Initiative of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  These brief but powerful educational materials are individually geared toward Federal Government hiring managers, human resources professionals, and disability program managers as well as service providers and job applicants with disabilities themselves.  These are found on a page of the Job Accommodation Network at: http://www.AskJan.org/lead/index.htm

In addition, the Federal Disability Workforce Consortium, a dedicated cadre of agency representatives from throughout the Federal Government, stands ready to be of assistance as well.  For further information and details, Visit: http://www.fdwc.info

Best of luck to all those who are endeavoring to secure opportunities for gainful employment!

ITEM 1

HOW TO IDENTIFY AND APPLY FOR JOB VACANCIES WITHIN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Department of Justice agencies post vacancy announcements directly on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s USAJobs Web site where you can search by location, job series, or DOJ agency. This link goes to current Department of Justice vacancies: http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/a9dj.asp

Here are some additional important links:

Opportunities for Law Students

http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/oppls.htm

Attorney Vacancies

http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html

Apply for a Job at the FBI

http://www.fbijobs.gov/03.asp

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives –Vacancy Announcements

http://www.atf.gov/careers/index.htm

Civil Division

http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/Employment.htm

Civil Rights Division

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/recruit.php

Criminal Division

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/employment/vacancies.html

Environmental and Natural Resources Division

http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/ENRD_Employment.html

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/employment/index.html

National Security Division

http://www.usdoj.gov/nsd/employment.htm

Office of the Inspector General

http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/jobs.htm

Office of Justice Programs

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/about/jobs.htm

Tax Division

http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/vacancies.htm

U.S. Trustees

http://www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/private_trustee/vacancies/

Job-seekers may Become a My USAJobs Member to post and create a resume, apply to Federal Government jobs, and receive automated job alerts via the Office of Personnel Management’s USAJobs site.  See: https://my.usajobs.gov/login.aspx?redirect=https%3a%2f%2fmy.usajobs.gov%2fhome.aspx

Note:  Where agencies offer electronic submission of job applications, job-seekers may submit their resume electronically. Where electronic submission is not offered, they may use this site to create a resume, and mail it to the address listed in the vacancy announcement.

This June, Connecticut, known for its invasive approach to questioning candidates for bar admission about their mental disabilities, adopted new rules in attempt to narrow the scope of permitted inquiries in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  See article below from the Connecticut Law Tribune.

http://www.ctlawtribune.com/getarticle.aspx?ID=37984

The Blind Students of California (BSC) is offering a scholarship to help defray the costs of attending this fall’s CCB convention in San Diego. The deadline to apply is September 15th. See the press release below from BSC.

Do you want to attend the fall CCB convention in San Diego, but money
is a little short? You may be in luck. Blind Students of California
(BSC) is offering one $100 stipend to attend the CCB fall convention.
Qualified applicants should be current students, legally blind, and
first time CCB convention attendees. You must also not be a
scholarship winner, or a chapter delegate for the fall. The BSC board
asks that you attend both the BSC program and the CCB banquet. We also
encourage you to attend all CCB general sessions. After the
convention, we ask that you write a short article for the Blind
Californian about your experience at the convention, in consultation
with the BSC president. Qualified candidates will participate in a
short telephone interview with the BSC officers. The application
deadline is September 15. If you are interested, please submit an
accessible document (a text file or Word 2003 document), to
leena.salim@gmail.com You should include your name, address, phone
number, e-mail address, school, and major. In addition, please submit
a short essay about why you think BSC should award you the $100
stipend to attend the convention.

Great fellowship opportunity for rising 3Ls interested in disability rights. The application deadline is August 15. See announcement below for full details…

DREDF Fellowship Sponsorship Announcement

Seeking Collaboration on Access to Health Care Project Proposals

August 2010

The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF), seeks candidates for collaboration on Skadden Fellow and Equal Justice Works Fellow applications for the two year period beginning in September 2011.  If awarded, such fellowships offer recent law graduates the opportunity to obtain training in litigation as well as many other aspects of a public interest practice.  DREDF works with prospective fellows to develop projects that address disability civil rights law issues, and has been successful in obtaining past fellowship awards.

Founded in 1979 by persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities, DREDF is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the civil rights of individuals with disabilities through legislation, litigation, informal and formal advocacy, and education & training of lawyers, advocates, and clients with respect to disability issues.  Since 1988, DREDF has taught disability rights courses at Bay Area law schools, and works regularly with law student interns.

DREDF seeks to sponsor a candidate to work on disability civil rights issues in the context of access to health care.  Applicants are encouraged to propose and discuss ideas in this area.  Criteria for sponsorship include the following:

• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law
• Established knowledge of and interest in civil rights laws
• The ability to work independently and cordially with others
• Strong academic performance; excellent legal research and writing skills

Applications invited on or before August 15, 2010.  Individuals with disabilities, minority and women candidates are especially encouraged to apply.  Please prepare a detailed cover letter describing your interest in DREDF and the Fellowship.  Send it along with your resume, transcript, list of three references, and a writing sample to:

Attn: Law Student Fellowships

DREDF

2212 6^th Street

Berkeley, CA  94710

Email: hmin@dredf.org

Brown, Goldstein & Levy is accepting applications for its disability rights fellowship, geared toward recent law grads and/or judicial clerks with disabilities. See the announcement below.

Greetings everyone:

In September 2009, Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP welcomed its first Disability Rights Fellow.  We are now accepting applications for our third annual Disability Rights Fellowship to begin in September 2011. The Fellowship offers a recent law school graduate or judicial clerk with a disability the opportunity to participate for a year in all phases of disability rights litigation at our firm in Baltimore, Maryland. Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a 14-lawyer law firm devoted principally to litigation. The firm has developed a national reputation for its high-profile, high-impact disability rights cases.  The one-year fellowship will begin in September 2011. The application deadline is November 15, 2010.   Please visit our website for additional details about the fellowship and the firm and to download an application: www.browngold.com.

Please feel free to pass this information along to individuals who you believe would be interested in a great opportunity to both gain experience and put their knowledge and drive to good use.

Thanks,

Greg

Gregory P. Care, Esquire

Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP

120 E. Baltimore Street

Suite 1700

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Phone:  410-962-1030 ext. 1316

Fax:  410-385-0869

gpc@browngold.com

www.browngold.com

The following is an article by guest blogger Kathryn Carroll on the tenBroek Symposium. A NALSWD member  who earned her B.A. at American University and will be a 1L at St. John’s College of Law this fall, Kathryn wrote about the symposium for Student Slate, an online publication of the National Association of Blind Students, and has generously offered to let us post her article.

Third Annual tenBroek Law Symposium:

Addressing Issues in Disability Rights

-by Kathryn Carroll

Thanks to all involved, the third annual tenBroek law symposium on April 15-16 at the Jernigan Institute in Baltimore was a wonderful success. It brought together lawyers, activists and other professionals from government agencies, disability rights organizations, law clinics, universities, and law firms. As a prospective law student, I was able to learn a lot about the legal issues present in the pan-disability rights movement. The symposium was ideal for networking and getting information about law school from current law students. It was easy to discern which universities had strong disability law programs; Syracuse University College of Law and American University Washington College of Law both had strong showings among the attendees.

The symposium consisted of sessions featuring speakers on an array of broad topics with time for Q&A as well as small workshops on more specific topics relating to disability and law. I got the feeling that the attendance was higher than in the past, as the time allotted to the small workshops was rarely sufficient to hear from all voices and cover all aspects of the agenda.

With the first address of the symposium, Tony Coelho, Chairman of the Board of the American Association of People with Disabilities, set an enthusiastic tone for the rest of the symposium. Mr. Coelho shared his personal experience as a person with epilepsy. His story gave me appreciation for the battles that have been fought on behalf of disability rights in the past. It reminded me that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was not always around for our protection. Mr. Coelho gave an overview of developments in the disability rights field and expressed his wish that the U.S. Senate ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The U.S. is one of the eighty-five signatories of the Convention, but Congress has yet to ratify it. Mr Coelho also expressed satisfaction that the ADA has been amended to include people with conditions such as epilepsy and diabetes. At the same time, Mr. Coelho expressed disappointment that federal employment of people with disabilities has decreased. Additional issues he mentioned included the push to put people with disabilities in a position to go to law school and be appointed as federal judges. While celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the ADA, Mr. Coelho reminded the audience of the work still ahead of us: “We should applaud ourselves, but only for a few seconds,” he said.

In the spirit of increasing legal appointments of people with disabilities and educating judges without disabilities on disability issues, Chief Judge Richard Brown of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals spoke about legal theory. He operates on what is called the “critical legal studies” approach, which emphasizes the importance of the particular people we employ as our lawyers and judges. Their opinions and education come into play when they represent clients, hear cases, and write opinions. Therefore, Judge Brown argued, we should increase our involvement in determining “bench appointments” and making sure that employment cases get heard in state courts. We can do this by submitting questionnaires to and interviewing candidates for appointments to the bench in order to gauge their opinions on disability, and writing press releases informing the public about the people who may be interpreting law its behalf. I found this address to be the most intriguing. It was stunning to hear how influential politics are in the formation of law. What’s more, attorneys and activists can actually influence the direction of law by strategically ensuring the hearing of certain cases in court and the appointments of the judges who hear them! This was covered in more depth in one of the workshops I attended; it was exciting to hear how the involved the work of attorneys gets beyond the courtroom.

The highlight of the symposium was the keynote address by Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Assistant Attorney General Perez gave a lively address chronicling the recent events in disability-related court cases across the country. Many cases he mentioned involved the closure of institutions and support for people with disabilities living in the community. Perez thanked the community of disability rights activists, whom he sometimes referred to as “serial activists” for the hard work they do. The closure of segregating institutions is a necessity for equality of the disabled, and more work remains.

Many of the people present at the symposium readily agreed that we as disability activists need to educate others about disability. However, there are many controversial issues in disability rights. Attorney David Ferleger, for instance, argued in a panel discussion that the real obstacle person with disabilities face in our society is exclusion. The lack of opportunity for acquiring multiple human relationships is the key cause of disadvantage. For instance, the physical isolation of people with disabilities in institutions, nursing homes, mental hospitals, residential settings and separate schools limits human relationships in the community and hinders people from developing their world through participation. This argument is one used by proponents of the social model of disability, as opposed to other views such as the medical model. Mr. Ferleger took the unconventional view that the focus of improving disability rights should be on these interpersonal relationships, with the ultimate goal that the ADA is repealed.

The symposium closed with another controversial subject: bioethics. We heard from Adrienne Asch, Director of the Center for Ethics at Yeshiva University, and Dan Brock, Director of the Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School. Mr. Brock argued that there is a moral decision to terminate a pregnancy which would result in the birth of a severely disabled person. Ms. Asch argued to the contrary. This topic raises the question about the morality of abortion, of course, but also questions like: “For whose benefit would the abortion be performed, the parents, the child, or the society?” and “What should our response be to multiple and severe disabilities?”

The symposium could have been extended another day, as there were so many topics to cover. Somewhat disappointing was the lack of any dialogue on the international component of disability rights. Apart from Mr. Coelho’s mention of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, there was no talk on the CRPD. While we certainly are cognizant of the obstacles to equality here in the United States, it is important to remember that the plight of persons with disabilities in the developing world is far worse.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the NFB, proclaimed this year’s symposium was very successful. Many people left the symposium with a greater understanding of disability and law. We shared strategies for improving the practice of law as well as for educating others. Importantly, the symposium gave people the opportunity to meet others with expertise in areas in which they were unfamiliar. As a future lawyer, I am confident in saying that attending tenBroek symposium really helped me develop my understanding of, and interest in, disability law.

For more information on the annual tenBroek Law Symposium, go to http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Law_Symposium.asp

For more information on the National Federation of the Blind, go to http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Default.asp

For more information on the National Association of Blind Students, go to http://www.nabslink.org/