MCCA Global Tec Forum – April 4-5, 2019

MCCA Global Tec Forum
April 4-5, 2019
Hilton San Francisco – Union Square

Including the “Invisible” Minority: How Tech Can Assist Blind and Low-Vision Lawyers Lead the Way

Panel presented by Louie Castoria, Partner, Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck, LLP

The American Bar Association (ABA) reports that 7% of its members have a disability. In 2011 41% of ABA firms had a lawyer with a disability in a “leadership position,” but not one was the chair or chair-elect. Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act’s 20-plus years of improvements in building access for people with disabilities, invisible barriers persist that block people with visual disabilities from the top management of law firms and general counsel offices. The answer in part may be digital accessibility–providing corporate communications and management reports in accessible formats and building tools to aid the visually impaired in reading and navigating websites. But technology can only go so far. Attitudes need to be adjusted just as much as physical curbs need to be cut. In a word-driven profession like the law, we need to recall that for most of human history language was spoken, not read.

Through the true stories of visually-impaired pioneers in the law, told by themselves in person and in media clips, we will explore the technology and sociology of blindness in the law and in technology industries, and, by extension, how other sensory and physical disabilities can be overcome through innovation and leadership.

For more information and to register, please visit: www.mcca.com/events/global-tec-forum