[blindLaw] Questions Regarding Blindness and Accessibility in Law School & the Legal Profession

[Nikki Singh]

Lots of good suggestions here.



Using a human reader is sometimes the best way to access information,
whether it is in print, a photograph, or a video. Many attorneys use the
services of paralegals or litigation assistants. Law firm partners use
associates, and judges have law clerks.



A screen reader and a good document conversion software are going to be
integral to reviewing voluminous records and other materials. You may also
use a paralegal to handle some document review as needed.


Sincerely,

Nikki

On Sat, Mar 16, 2024 at 12:03 AM Natasha Ishaq via BlindLaw <
blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Thanks Syed! I am indeed a JAWS and VoiceOver user. I have been exploring
> various apps that can potentially help with navigating inaccessible
> documents, such as scanned PDFs or other PDFs that are inaccessible with
> JAWS. I’ve heard that VoiceDream is great for this. I’m also looking into
> apps such as Seeing AI or potentially even AIRA to assist with visuals and
> images. If you have any additional suggestions or recommendations, I’d love
> to learn about them!
>
> Thanks!
>
> Regards,
> Natasha
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 19, 2024 at 2:38 PM Syed Rizvi <syedrizvinfb at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi Natasha,
> >
> >
> >
> > Congrats on beginning your legal journey!
> >
> >
> >
> > I am a blind law school student and will try my best to answer your
> > questions.
> >
> >
> >
> > Regarding your second question, how do you currently do the bulk of your
> > reading? Many blind lawyers employ the use of a screen reading software,
> > such as Job Access With Speech, to quickly and accurately read through
> > large amounts of text. I think acquiring this skill would also be helpful
> > for law school and not only for work. You can potentially receive
> training
> > in how to use such software from your state’s vocational rehabilitation
> > agency. I’m happy to jump on a call to show you how I use this tool.
> >
> >
> >
> > Regarding your first and last questions, I wondered about the same
> > potential barriers in my own career. While there are ever growing
> > technological solutions to such visual barriers, sometimes the easiest
> path
> > is the low tech one. It is common for sighted attorneys to employ the
> > services of paralegals and professional assistants. Blind attorneys, like
> > their sighted counterparts, also receive assistance in their work from
> such
> > support staff. However, the type of assistance they may receive from
> their
> > support staff for particular tasks may differ. It is most important for
> you
> > to do your job efficiently. If that entails asking your support staff to
> > provide you with a description of an image or check for a signature on a
> > printed page, then that is a perfectly acceptable solution that does not
> > hinder your own independence.
> >
> >
> >
> > I am happy to connect and discuss further if you would like.
> >
> >
> >
> > Best of luck!
> >
> > -Syed
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Jan 18, 2024 at 10:46 AM Natasha Ishaq via BlindLaw <
> > blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >
> >> Hello All,
> >>
> >> I will be starting law school in the fall and have a few specific
> >> questions
> >> regarding blindness and accessibility in law school and the legal
> >> profession as a whole.
> >>
> >> First, I was wondering whether anyone on this mailing list who is a
> >> prosecutor, defense attorney or judge would be willing to speak with me
> >> about navigating accessibility within their work. As someone interested
> in
> >> pursuing criminal law, I understand that viewing photographic images and
> >> videos are often part of the job when it comes to reviewing evidence. I
> >> would like to know how blind attorneys and judges are best able to
> >> overcome
> >> this kind of accessibility barrier and still maintain independence in
> >> their
> >> line of work?
> >>
> >> Second, what is the best software application that can be used to review
> >> annd navigate through electronic documents that are hundreds of pages
> >> long?
> >>
> >> Finally, what is the best approach to take when given inaccessible
> >> documents, such as inaccessible scanned PDFs or handwritten files?
> >>
> >> My goal is to have the solutions for the above barriers planned out
> prior
> >> to starting law school so that i can better focus on coursework, clinics
> >> and professional training without having to feel “stuck” because of
> >> inaccessibility. Essentially, I want to have a plan I can immediately
> >> follow to prevent these problems from arising in the first place.
> >>
> >> I am grateful for any and all insight and help. Thank you all so much.
> >>
> >> Warm Regards,
> >> Natasha
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> >> BlindLaw mailing list
> >> BlindLaw at nfbnet.org
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
> >> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> >> BlindLaw:
> >>
> >>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/syedrizvinfb%40gmail.com
> >>
> >
> _______________________________________________
> BlindLaw mailing list
> BlindLaw at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> BlindLaw:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/nikki.singh%40aya.yale.edu
>