[blindlaw] Bluebook

Rod Alcidonis, Esquire Attorney at alcidonislaw.com
Tue Jul 21 23:06:33 UTC 2015


I would suggest that the name of this employer is forwarded to your state 
affiliate so he can be properly congratulated. The OVR Director of PA is 
really trying to acknowledge such wonderful employers of individuals with 
disabilities, I know.

Rod

-----Original Message----- 
From: Dawn Benbow via blindlaw
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 6:52 PM
To: Blind Law Mailing List
Cc: Dawn Benbow
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Bluebook

Hi,

As a blind paralegal I come at this from another angle myself. :) I just 
graduated with my Bachelors in Paralegal Studies and was hired within a 
month of graduation at the small firm where I had my required internship. 
The firm where I work is absolutely wonderful about accessability things! My 
supervising attorney took me as an intern on the day I went in for the 
interview. He had no doubts at all of my abbility to do what I said I could 
do after he saw my resume and portfolio of work that I brought with me. This 
was the *only* internship interview where my blindness was only mentioned in 
passing, when he asked me what he could do to help me learn my way around 
the office! He prefers when I can work in the office, but I have moderate to 
severe adult onset asthma and severe allergies, which I'm under specialists 
care for, and I can't always make it in. So I work from home. As most of the 
client files have a physical folder, as well as an online one, it is a 
workable system for me. If I need information from a document that hasn't 
been uploaded to our business dropbox, then either an intern, or one of my 
co-workers finds the information that I need.
Going through school I rarely used a reader, mostly finding ways to use my 
technology instead of a human reader. What's really nice, is that if I now 
need things read for me at work, it isn't a problem for anyone there, even 
my boss, to look up something for me and get me what I need. :) It's still 
just a one attorney office, with me and one other full time legal assistant 
and a part time office manager, I love working there because I'm not seen as 
a blind person there. Just as a person. I would take this job any day over 
working in a big law firm, even if they offered better pay, simply because I 
enjoy going to work every morning that I'm able to, and I know that I'm 
appreciated there and that everyone in the office will help me in whatever 
way I request, if something isn't accessible for me. I was blessed to have 
found and been hired at my dream job right out of college. I know how rare 
that is for anyone, muchless someone who is blind, in our current job 
market.

I always find it interesting to hear all the different perspectives on this 
list, and I enjoy hearing about how we all acomplish things in different 
ways. It's that kind of sharing of how we do things that can really allow us 
to help each other. No one way is better than any other. It's all simply a 
matter of what is the best way for each of us at the current time. Because 
down the road, our situations can take unexpected turns and what worked well 
for us before, may not be the answer the next time.

I'm glad that we can all learn different ways to do things from each other 
without having to feel superior in some way. :)

Dawn, and my soon to be retired guide dog Baskin, who's the office mascot :)


Dawn Benbow, Paralegal
Law Offices of David C. Helm, PLLC
598 N. Mill St., MI, 48170
work 1 (248) 679-8804
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 21, 2015, at 10:59 AM, Susan Kelly via blindlaw 
> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Like Scott, I have found this intriguing.  I come at it from a slightly 
> different background, in that I was still able to read visually, in 
> controlled spurts, while I was in law school and the first years of 
> practice.  Even as my sight declined, I still found ways to do everything 
> independently, even though it took longer and longer hours - beyond that 
> even normal for new lawyers - to accomplish.  Once I needed the computer 
> to be able to access information, the real need for changes in my ability 
> to ask for assistance began, because as Scott points out, many things 
> still will not be accessible.  The ADA and companion laws should prevent 
> that, but the reality is that you may find yourself in an agency or firm 
> that utilizes an inaccessible file management program, an inaccessible 
> time/attendance/benefits program, etc.  While you should definitely 
> register the proper legal complaints about these things, at the end of the 
> day, your work still has to be done for the benefit of the client. 
> Sometimes that will mean that you will have to rely on a sighted assistant 
> or co-worker.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Scott C. 
> LaBarre via blindlaw
> Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 6:58 AM
> To: 'Blind Law Mailing List'
> Cc: Scott C. LaBarre
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Bluebook
>
> Greetings everyone, I have been following this thread with interest.  I 
> graduated law school in 1993 and thus confronted a different reality than 
> those going through in this age.  I absolutely had to rely on the use of a 
> reader because we were using dos based computers that had dial up 
> connections with the brand new internet.  The vast majority of material 
> was available only in print and even today, I suspect that the majority is 
> still only available initially in hard copy print.  The difference is, of 
> course, that almost everything is born digital and thus there is a path to 
> gaining access, either through rendering the digital material accessible 
> or converting it into something accessible.
>
> In any event, for me, this conversation has been interesting because 
> indicates how much times have changed.  When I was a student, it went 
> without saying that every blind student would require the use of a reader 
> and for a law student heavy use of same.  Now, the trend is for blind 
> students to avoid  readers, almost at all cost.
>
> In my practice, I largely rely on gaining access through digital means, 
> but I still need my assistant to do a significant amount of reading.  If I 
> get an inaccessible electronic document or, believe it or not, get 
> something in the mail that is only hard copy, I need her to read that 
> document to me and then I identify the strategy I need to employ from 
> there.  If it is something that I will need again or it is something that 
> could be important in one of my cases, I usually have her scan the 
> document and convert it into an accessible text.  Some times, if the 
> document is not all that important and I have gained whatever information 
> from it I need, I will have her dispose of it.  It is still also true that 
> in terms of scanning for something quicly, it is often faster for me to 
> have my assistant hunt for something and then give me the info.  The 
> bottom line is that I do not believe I could practice law without my 
> assistant acting as a reader on a rather frequent basis.  It is also true 
> to say that in the last en years, the amount of time that she actually has 
> to read is gone down substantially.
>
> So, I pretty much agree with all the comments made.  We should strive to 
> be as independent as possible and use tools that allow us to do so  . 
> However, independence is more of a mental state  and philosophy than usage 
> of particular tools.  Derek is right to recommend Dr. Jernigan's speech, 
> the Nature of Independence, which I was fortunate enough to hear in person 
> in 1993.  I believe Derek referred everyone to the text link to the 
> speech, but if you get a chance, watch the video or listen to the audio. 
> Dr. Jernigan had a masterful form of delivery that we rarely encounter 
> these days.  I also agree that we should take all necessary measures to 
> become employed.
> Although the ADA has opened up many doors in the last 25 years, it has 
> barely moved the needle on employment, and that is something we must 
> continue to combat in a variety of ways.
>
> As for endeavoring to get on law review or a law journal etc, those 
> efforts certainly help to distinguish you.  For those who are not 
> fortunate to get on law review or who cannot maintain a high GPA, there is 
> still hope.  After a few years of practice, no one really cares whether 
> you were on law review or what your GPA might have been.  It then centers 
> on the experience you have gained.  Consequently, I think that one of the 
> most critical things you can do is gain practical experience while in law 
> school either through internships, clerkships, clinics,and the like.
>
> Originally, we were going to have a panel at this year's NABL's meeting 
> about how blind lawyers practice differently, especially the differeing 
> approachs based on when one graduated from law school.  We couldn't fit 
> that in this year but it will be a high priority for our meeting next 
> year.  I want to thank everyone for their comments  on this thread and 
> thank you for an interesting conversation which allowed me to reflect a 
> bit on the good old days when I was young and back in law school.
>
> Best,
> Scott
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Derek 
> Manners via blindlaw
> Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 6:54 AM
> To: Blind Law Mailing List
> Cc: Derek Manners; Stewart, Christopher K
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Bluebook
>
> Hey Chris, I'd actually disagree with your philosophical view. Here's why.
> Sometimes it is truly more efficient and therefore independent for 
> different folks to do things different ways.
>
> I'd encourage you to read this if you haven't already.
>
> https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/convent/addres93.htm
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jul 21, 2015, at 8:42 AM, Stewart, Christopher K via blindlaw
> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Laura:
>>
>> For the record, all I gathered from your email was satisfaction that
>> another blind person is taking the legal field by storm. I have no
>> interest in playing a game of "show me yours I'll show you mine" with
>> anyone. Nor did I mean to suggest that your methods are somehow less
>> viable than mine and Derek's.
>>
>> Moreover, I clearly misunderstood the nature of your use of a reader.
>> If you used a sighted person only to get you started, and that worked,
>> more power to you. My personal view is that anything that I can do
>> myself, I should do myself. That is also in keeping with the
>> organization who sponsors this list. However, the pragmatist in me
>> knows that, at the end of the day, the goal should be employment and
>> living the life we want. Whatever leads to this conclusion, in my
>> opinion, is more or less the right way, and a foolish consistency is
>> the hobgoblin of little minds.
>>
>> Finally, Michal, of course life will go on just fine if you don't try
>> for or make law review. But, we would be silly to ignore the
>> employment disadvantages that are realities of blindness today.
>> Writing on to your law review and maintaining good standing on the
>> journal is an objective means of prospectively assuaging some
>> employer's initial doubts, and many employers prefer journal
>> experience. Do with that information what you will, and I wish you a
>> ton of success in law school.
>>
>> Best,
>> Chris
>>
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