Interested in Advocating for Civil Rights? Consider a Career in Disability Law

By Susanne Aronowitz
Associate Dean for Law Career Services

Several disability law experts gathered at GGU on October 11 to talk with students about careers in disability law. The program was a joint venture between Law Career Services, Law Disability Services, and the Ian Mackey Newman Memorial Fund in honor of Disability Awareness Month.

According to Paul Grossman, chief regional civil rights attorney for the US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights in San Francisco, disability law is part of the civil rights law framework. He described the Americans with Disabilities Act as a desegregation law that has guaranteed equal access for people with disabilities to a wide variety of institutions from which they had previously been excluded.

Susan Mizner of the SF Mayor’s Office on Disability highlighted the broad range of issues that her office handles, including access to voting, public meetings, public health resources, transportation, buildings, sidewalks, and disaster preparedness.

Because people with disabilities tend to have more contact with government agencies and services, the budget crisis has had a devastating impact. Jung Pham (GGU JD 07) of Disability Rights California finds that 90 percent of his case load involves finding creative solutions to providing services to people with disabilities as a result of California’s budget crisis.

Each of the panelists highlighted some of the cutting edge issues they are dealing with, including: disaster preparedness for people with disabilities, the right to use support animals, the introduction of technology to improve public safety and access to public meetings, and making post-secondary education more welcoming for disabled veterans.

The panelists also offered practical advice and insights for students seeking to pursue a career in disability law. Dolly Trompeter, a solo practitioner who handles Social Security appeals, encouraged students to be flexible and to consider working on the “other side” to enhance their training and expertise. According to Ms. Trompeter, her prior experience working at the Social Security Administration has helped her attract clients and has enhanced her effectiveness as an advocate.

The panel highlighted a wide range of opportunities at public interest advocacy organizations (such as Disability Rights Advocates, Disability Rights California, and Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund), at semi-private organizations (such as the National Disability Rights Network), and at private law firms. The panelists also highlighted the various federal, state and local government agencies (including school districts) that handle disability issues. They encouraged students to seek out classes in administrative law, civil rights law, and disability law to develop the expertise necessary for this work.

Most importantly, students should make it a priority to develop work experience through internships, clinics and pro bono opportunities. The panelists emphasized that demonstrating to future employers that you have learned how to interact with clients will give you an advantage in the hiring process. Students can also explore getting involved with San Francisco’s approximately 120 different citizen advisory committees, all of which would benefit from a disability perspective to be more effective in the recommendations they make.

Because disability issues touch upon so many areas of law, students seeking a career in disability law should remain true to their passion while being flexible in the opportunities they pursue.



See the rest here on our GGU Law Career Services YouTube channel.