[blindLaw] BlindLaw Digest, Vol 226, Issue 17 / blind government lawyering

[Susan Kelly]

I am a public defender in Arizona - at least here in our county, there have been varying (weak) attempts at ADA compliance, but a lot I have figured out on my own, including relying on an iPad pro for the vast majority of my work (Voice Over, etc) varying apps (including one that OCRs for me, since the agency routinely forgets / screws it up), my own personal PDF forms for taking notes, etc.  I don;t represent the government per se, rather my clients, but much the same in what you can ask for, what you can realistically expect, and what you can do for yourself much more efficiently, if needed.

Susan C L Kelly
Assistant Public Defender
Pima County Public Defender’s Office - Juvenile Division
Ofc: 520-724-2994
Fax: 520-770-4168
Text: 520-262-6137
ADA Assistant:
Norma Garcia
520-724-4778
Norma.Garcia at pima.gov
Secretary:
Andrea Espinoza
520-724-2995
Andrea.Espinoza at pima.gov

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Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2023 5:00:03 AM
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Subject: BlindLaw Digest, Vol 226, Issue 17

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Today's Topics:

   1. Gov. Lawyering while visually impaired (Michael Collins)


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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2023 14:12:17 +0000
From: Michael Collins <michael.t.collins.728 at outlook.com>
To: "blindlaw at nfbnet.org" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blindLaw] Gov. Lawyering while visually impaired
Message-ID:
        <BL0PR07MB52197BBC42AC820A36FAA735A4899 at BL0PR07MB5219.namprd07.prod.outlook.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Hi all,

I recently accepted a civil litigator position with the federal government. I'm visually impaired but still have usable vision. Would anyone with experience litigating for the government be willing to talk about the accommodations they've used or found available?

I never really explored accommodations while clerking and my work experience has been with non-profits and small firms that had more ad hoc accommodations policies?i.e., if I encounter a problem and think of a solution, I ask a partner if that solution is feasible with the firm's resources. I gather the government has more available resources (though not at the level of a big firm), but is more formulaic because they have plenty of disabled employees rather than just me. I want to know what I can reasonably expect in terms of technology/services. The position requires a lot of travel, so I'm particularly curious about what the government does when a lawyer simply cannot rent a car at the airport to travel to the final destination.

If anyone who's traveled this road before would be willing to chat about the accommodations they used and the roadblocks they encountered, I would be very appreciative.

Thank you,

- Michael
Sent from my mobile device

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End of BlindLaw Digest, Vol 226, Issue 17
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