The National Association of Law Students with Disabilities
2011 Conference
Golden Gate University School of Law
January 21-23, 2011
San Francisco, California
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All of us at NALSWD extend our warmest thanks to the organizations that so generously
donated to make this conference possible!
List of Conference Donors: Golden Gate University School of Law, Stanford Association of Law Students for Disability Rights, The Morrison
Foerster Foundation, Morrison Foerster, Microsoft, Google, Brown Goldstein Levy LLP, Alston & Bird LLP, Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon
LLP, Jackson Walker LLP, Barnes & Thornburg LLP.
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The Ian C. Mackey Newman Memorial Fund
Background
Ian Christopher Mackey Newman graduated from GGU School of Law in May of 2009 and passed his
first administration of the bar in July 2009. In January 2010, the legal community was faced with the
devastating loss of Ian, and those he inspired have sought a way to sustain the message he delivered so
well to his colleagues in the field.
As a law student with muscular dystrophy, Ian was unaffected by any socially constructed boundaries
and proved to those around him that his disability was always secondary to his intellectual
contributions. Ian exhibited an unparalleled standard of professionalism and grace, and his enthusiasm
and aptitude for the law inspired many.
Mission of Fund
Although the legal community was deeply saddened to lose such a wise young man and attorney, it is
greatly hopeful that his spirit will be preserved in a program that reveals the determination and
strength of attorneys with disabilities, and above all, their capabilities for this craft.
The mission of the Ian C. Mackey Newman Memorial Fund is to support a program that will promote
disability awareness in the legal field. The program seeks out avenues to highlight attorneys
specializing in a variety of areas who have represented the population of attorneys with disabilities who
have pursued successful legal careers based on superior intellectual abilities and adeptness for the law.
If you are interested in participating in this fund, please contact the Golden Gate University Office of Advancement.
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Agenda for the 4th Annual NALSWD Conference
Unless notes, all events will be at Golden Gate University School of Law, in the 6th Floor Golden Gate Center.
(Take either elevator to the 6th Floor, turn left, then right, Rooms 6208-6210)
FRIDAY JANUARY 21
4:30 – 6:30
NALSWD Happy-Hour to kick-off the conference!
Fang Restaurant, 660 Howard Street (between 2nd and 3rd)
SATURDAY JANUARY 22
8:30 – 9:00
Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30
Welcome Speech Opening the Conference
Drucilla Stender Ramey, Dean, Golden Gate University School of Law
9:30 – 10:30
Panel 1: Applying for Bar Exam Accommodations
An expert Disability Services representative, Sue Lunbeck,
accompanied by recent alums, will outline the process of getting
accommodations for the bar and strategies for avoiding common
problems with the process.
Sue Lunbeck, UC-Hastings School of Law
Karma Quick, Independent Living Resource Center
Dria Fearn, Freedom Bus Project
10:30 – 10:45
Break
10:45 – 11:45
Panel 2: Disability Disclosure, Accommodation, & Success in the
Workplace
When, how, and why to disclose your disability in the context of
employment, as well as tips for successful self-advocacy for job
accommodations.
Claudia Center, The Employment Law Center
Carrie Griffen-Basas, University of North Carolina Law School
Rebecca Williford, Disability Rights Advocates
Rachel Langston, The Employment Law Center
11:45 – 1:45
Lunch
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1:45 – 2:45
Panel 3: The ADA at 20: Where Lawyers with Disabilities are Now
Our panelists are successful lawyers with disabilities who have
taken advantage of the opportunities the ADA opened up to
pursue a wide variety of legal career paths. They will discuss their
careers and their views on the employment options for new
lawyers with disabilities.
Kathi Pugh, Morrison & Forrester
Stuart Pixley, Microsoft
Susan Mizner, San Francisco Mayor’s Office on Disability
Noah Smith, Berkeley Law School
2:45 – 3:00
Break
3:00 – 4:00
Panel 4: Technology & Litigation: Two Paths to Increased Access
Legal advocates for people with disabilities and representatives
from the tech industry will discuss the potential – and the
potential legal issues – of accessible technology.
Ben Foss, Intel
Cynthia Waddell, International Center for Disability Resources on
the Internet
Karla Gilbride, Disability Rights Advocates
Trevor Finneman, Disability Rights Legal Center
4:00 – 5:00
Reception
5:00 – 5:45
Ian Mackey Newman Keynote Speech
Larry Paradis, Executive Director of Disability Rights Advocates
Introduction by Cristina Rubke, Shartrsis Friese LLP
6:00 – 8:00
Small Group Dinners Out in the City
SUNDAY JANUARY 23
8:30 – 9:00
Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30
Opening Remarks from the NALSWD Executive Board
9:30 – 11:00
Group Student Discussion about NALSWD’s Accomplishments in
2009-2011 and Priorities for 2011-2012
11:00 – 11:15
Break
11:15 – 11:45
Presentation About NALSWD Elections and Offices for 2011-2012
11:45 – 12:15
Debrief (followed by applications for travel funding)
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Speaker Biographies
9:00 – 9:30 Welcome Speech Opening the Conference
Photo of Drucilla Ramey
Drucilla Ramey is the Dean of the Golden Gate University School of Law
and a Professor of Law. She serves on the Board of Directors of the
American Judicature Society, the Board of Directors of the Habeas Corpus
Research Center, and the Editorial Advisory Board of California Lawyer
magazine. Dean Ramey is a former Executive Director of the National
Association of Women Judges and a former Executive Director and
General Counsel for the Bar Association of San Francisco. She is also the
co-founder of the California Minority Counsel Program and the former
Chair of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and the
ACLU of Northern California. Among other accolades, Dean Ramey has
been awarded the American Bar Association Margaret Brent Women
Lawyers of Achievement Award, National Bar Association Wiley Branton
Award, California Women Lawyers Fay Stender Award, and the American
Jewish Committee Judge Learned Hand Award. She graduated magna
cum laude from Harvard College and earned a law degree from Yale Law
School.
9:30 – 10:30 Panel 1: Applying for Bar Exam Accommodations
Photo of Sue Lunbeck
Sue Lunbeck is the Director of Academic Access Services and the Disability
Resource Center at the University of California Hastings College of the
Law. Sue joined the faculty at Hastings in 1992 as Director of the Legal
Education Opportunity Program, teaching Legal Analysis and Bar
Preparation classes in addition to directing the academic support services
for program students. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Colorado State
University with a B.A. in Sociology and Criminal Justice and received a law
degree from Golden Gate University where she was among the first
graduates of the Public Interest Law Program. After practicing in the area
of children's rights, Ms. Lunbeck joined New College School of Law in 1982
where she created and implemented an academic support program for
non-traditional students. In 1986, she became the Director of the Legal
Writing and Research Program. In 1989, Ms. Lunbeck was appointed
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. For the past 25 years, she has
prepared students for the California Bar Exam.
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Photo of Dria Fearn
Photo of Karma Quick
Dria Fearn received her B.A. from UCLA in political science and public
policy, and her J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law, and was most
recently a trial lawyer at a boutique plaintiffs’ firm in San Francisco.
Currently Executive Director of the Freedom Bus Project, Dria has
distinguished herself as a statewide and nationally recognized advocate
for people with disabilities, having served on both the National Council on
Disability’s Youth Advisory Committee and the Youth Subcommittee of
the California Governor’s Committee for Employment of People with
Disabilities, and as a panelist for the Pacific Coast Association of Pre-Law
Advisors. In 2006 Dria was profiled by the California Employment
Development Department as an “emerging leader in the disability arena”
for EDD’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month campaign. In
her capacity as the Senior Symposium Editor of the Hastings Law Journal,
Dria brought together the nation’s legal scholars and the Bay Area’s top
disability rights advocates for the first National Disability Law Symposium.
Dria is also active in Democratic Party politics, serving as an Associate
Member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee.
Karma Quick is a 2008 graduate of New College of California/John F.
Kennedy University School of Law. Throughout her legal education, she
worked with both Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. and
Schneider Wallace on disability rights and other civil rights cases, and then
helped lead NALSWD in its first year as the organization's first elected
conference director. After law school, Karma worked with the Mayor's
Office on Disability for nearly two years, helping to keep the City and
County of San Francisco accessible and barrier-free to people with
disabilities. In addition to work with the City, Karma was a child advocate
and law clerk with the Special Education Collaboration Project and
advocated for the rights of many children to a free, appropriate, public
education (FAPE) in the Bay Area's public schools. She currently sits on
the National Association of the Deaf's Civil Rights Committee and is the
board president of the Independent Living Resource Center of San
Francisco.
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10:45 – 11:45 Panel 2: Disability Disclosure, Accommodation, and Success in the Workplace
Photo of Claudia Center
Photo of Rebecca Williford
Claudia Center is a Senior Staff Attorney and the Director of the Disability
Rights Program at the Legal Aid Society—Employment Law Center. Ms.
Center litigates cases that secure workplace accommodations and
increase protections for employees with disabilities. She played a central
role in the passage of an amendment to the FEHA that succeeded in
broadening protections for persons with disabilities in employment and
housing. In 2001, Ms. Center argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in US
Airways, Inc. v. Barnett, a case dealing with the scope of “reasonable
accommodations” for disabled employees. In 1997, she started the LIBRA
Project to advance the employment rights of persons with mental health
conditions. Ms. Center has served as a staff attorney at the National
Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) and is a
recipient of the Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship. She obtained
a B.A. in Government and African Studies from Wesleyan University in
1987 and a law degree from Boalt Hall at the University of California in
1992.
Rebecca Williford joined Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley, California
in 2009 as the LD Access/Ryder Foundation Fellowship Attorney. Her
fellowship work includes advancing equal rights and opportunity for
people with learning disabilities and autism. Rebecca earned her B.A. in
political science with highest honors in 2004 and her J.D. as a Jack Kent
Cooke Scholar in 2009, both from the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. During law school, she helped found and served as president
of the National Association of Law Students with Disabilities. She was
also a member of the staff and editorial board of the First Amendment Law
Review. Ms. Williford is a past Commissioner of the ABA Commission on
Mental and Physical Disability Law and currently serves as Vice Chair of the
ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities’ Committee on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She is a member of the Bar Association
of San Francisco’s Disability Rights Committee and co-editor of Lawyers
Lead On: Mentoring Lessons from Established Lawyers with Disabilities (2011
ABA Press).
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Photo of Carrie Griffin Basas
Carrie Griffin Basas, a graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Law
School, is a post-graduate research fellow at Harvard Law School and a
visiting assistant professor at the University of North Carolina School of
Law. She has also taught at Penn State University-Dickinson School of
Law, the University of Tulsa College of Law, and Saint Joseph's College of
Maine (MBA). Her research focuses on the advancement of people with
disabilities in the workplace, the role of disability in criminal sentencing,
and the intersection of disability and health equity issues. She conducted
the first qualitative, ethnographic study of the work experiences of
women attorneys with disabilities and their use of the ADA. Prof. Basas is
working on two book projects - a disability rights textbook to be
published by Carolina Academic Press in 2012 and a collection of
mentoring advice for emerging attorneys with disabilities to be published
by the ABA in 2011.
While in law school at Harvard, Prof. Basas founded an online network of
lawyers and law students with disabilities and worked for the U.S.
Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division in the Disability Rights
Section. Before becoming a law professor, she practiced energy and civil
rights law at the Washington, DC firm of Spiegel and McDiarmid. She left
practice to found a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing
disability diversity in the workplace and creating a network of emerging
professionals with disabilities.
In 2003, she received the American Association of People with Disabilities'
Paul G. Hearne Disability Rights Leadership Award. She is also a Truman
Scholar and a Commissioner on the ABA Commission on Mental and
Physical Disability Law. She serves on the advisory boards of several
disability-related organizations, including the Mitsubishi Electric America
Foundation, the National Association of Law Students with Disabilities,
and the Review of Disability Studies at the University of Hawaii.
Rachael Langston is a Staff Attorney in the Gender Equity and Disability
Rights Programs at the Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center (LASELC). Rachael joined the LAS–ELC in 2008 as a Skadden fellow. She advises
and represents workers with disabilities, with a primary focus on disability
discrimination and failure to accommodate in the workplace. Rachael also
provides community education regarding the rights of employees with
disabilities, and participates in legislative advocacy to expand the rights of
workers who have familial care giving responsibilities. She received her
J.D. in 2008 from the University of California, Berkeley and her B.A. from
Texas Tech University in 2005.
Photo of Rachel Langston
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1:45 – 2:45 Panel 3: The ADA at 20: Where Lawyers with Disabilities are Now
Susan Mizner went to Stanford law school lying on a cot. And that was
before the ADA came into effect. With wonderful help from Stanford, and
a few lucky breaks, she has been working on disability rights issues ever
since. Susan is currently the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Disability,
where she has graduated to a nice couch as her reasonable
accommodation. Ms. Mizner spends much of her professional life
promoting equal access for persons with disabilities, especially with
regard to government services. She also serves on the Board of Directors
of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California.
Photo of Susan Mizner
Photo of Kathi Pugh
Kathi Pugh is Pro Bono Counsel for the firm Morrison & Foerster. She
started at Morrison and Forester in 1990 as a labor associate in the Labor
& Employment Department. Ms. Pugh served on the Council of the
Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities (IRR) of the American Bar
Association from 1996-2009 was elected to Council Leadership in 2001. In
1999, she was appointed to the Editorial Committee of Human Rights,
where she served as Chair of the Committee from 2002-2009. She also
served as an advisor for the founding of NALSWD.
Ms. Pugh has served on the Board of Directors of the Bar Association of
San Francisco (BASF) from 1992-1994 and as President of the San
Francisco Barristers Club from 1995-1997. She also chaired the Pro Bono
Committee of the Barristers Club. In 1988, Ms. Pugh co-founded the East
Bay Community Law Center, the largest provider of legal services in
Alameda County. She currently serves as a judge for the Donald P.
McCullum Youth Court, which offers youthful offenders in Oakland a
second chance, thereby avoiding the criminal justice system.
Ms. Pugh received a joint degree from the University of California at
Berkeley, a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law and an M.B.A from Haas
School of Business. She has received numerous awards including the
Award of Merit from the BASF, the Young Alumnus Award from the Boalt
Hall Alumni Association, the Opening Doors to Justice Award from the
Public Interest Clearinghouse, and the Outstanding Volunteer in Public
Service Awards from the Volunteer Legal Services Program of the Bar
Association of San Francisco. She was also honored by the Bay Area
Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society for her extensive
work in the community as well as her continued work for disability rights.
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Photo of Stuart Pixley
Stuart Pixley is a Board Member at the Alliance of People with Disabilities
and a Senior Attorney in the Open Source Legal Group at Microsoft.
Previously, he was Special Counsel at the Heller Ehrman/ Venture Law
Group, a Partner at Baker &McKenzie, and an Associate at Brobeck,
Phleger & Harrison and at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. Mr. Pixley
received his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley
School of Law in 1997 and his Bachelor's in Arts in Psychology from Pitzer
College in 1990. Mr. Pixley specializes in technology and intellectual
property transactions and open source and intellectual property
counseling. He is also a member of the Cross-Disability Committee, a
company-wide employee resource group, and the Legal and Corporate
Affairs Diversity Outreach Committee. In the past year, Mr. Pixley helped
Microsoft stage its first Enable Forum (a half day internal conference on
disability issues) and successfully championed Microsoft’s adoption of the
ABA Pledge for Change affirming Microsoft’s commitment to disability
diversity in the legal profession. He also helped the NALSWD obtain a
donation from Microsoft for this conference and its law student
scholarship program.
Noah Smith is a 2010 graduate of UC Berkeley, Berkeley School of Law. In
law school Noah participated in the Human Rights Clinic and East Bay
Community Law Center clinic. He also co-wrote and published "Truth
Behind Bars: Colombian Paramilitaries in U.S. Custody," a policy report on
U.S. interests in prosecuting Colombian war lords' human rights crimes.
Noah has interned at Bay Area Legal Aid, Tonkon Torp LLP, and the
Environmental Agency. Between 2007-2009, Noah served in several roles
for NALSWD, including as CIO, Vice President, and Interim President.
Noah will participate in a Government Honors Attorney program in the
fall of 2011.
Photo of Noah Smith
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3:00 – 4:00 Panel 4: Technology and Litigation: Two Paths to Increased Access
Ben Foss recently completed his tenure as Director of Access Technology
in the Health Group at Intel Corporation. Working in the Digital Health
Group at Intel, he led a team of industrial designers, mechanical engineers
and software architects that develops mobile computing systems for
people with disabilities. His group focused on improving communication
and access to information for all, including those who are dyslexic like
him. The Intel® Reader, a product for which he filled the first patents, is
current shipping from Care Innovations, an Intel/GE company.
Photo of Ben Foss
In 2003, he founded Headstrong, a non-profit corporation, with the
mission of forming a dyslexic community and encouraging LD people to
join the disability rights movement. The non-profit’s first film, Headstrong:
Inside the Hidden World of Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder, was
recently broadcast across the U.S. on public television stations. Ben also
serves on the board of Disability Rights Advocates, a national civil rights
law organization that defends the rights of people with disabilities.
Previously, Ben served in the White House National Economic Council
during the Clinton administration. Ben holds a B.A from Wesleyan
University in Middletown, Conn., a Masters of Science in Moral Philosophy
from the University of Edinburgh where he was a Marshal Scholar, as well
as a J.D./M.B.A from Stanford University. As a high school student he was
a state champion athlete in soccer and downhill ski racing but is most
proud of being the water boy for his school team that set the Guinness
World’s Record for Leap Frogging at 888 Miles. He is married to Dr. Alexis
Filippini and lives in San Francisco, Calif.
Photo of Karla Gilbride
Karla Gilbride joined DRA in 2008 as the John W. Carson Fellowship
Attorney. Her work focuses on issues faced by people with disabilities in
Southern California, as well as advocacy for low-income consumers,
including consumers with disabilities, before the California Public Utilities
Commission. Karla graduated with highest honors from Swarthmore
College in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics. After working as a
political organizer for two years, she attended Georgetown Law school
and received her J.D. with honors in 2007. During law school she served as
article selection co-editor for the Georgetown Journal on poverty Law and
Policy and participated in the school’s Federal Legislation Clinic, through
which she was involved in the negotiations for what ultimately became
the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. After graduating from law school,
Karla served as a law clerk to Judge Ronald Gould on the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals in Seattle.
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Cynthia Waddell is the Executive Director and Law, Policy and
Technology Subject Matter Expert for the International Center for
Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI), a public policy center
working for equal opportunities for persons with disabilities. She
provides consulting services to government, university and commercial
clients for compliance with disability rights laws. Ms. Waddell is a
former ADA Compliance Officer for the City of San Jose, and a former
member of the CA Building Standards Access Code Committee, the CA
Area VII Board of Developmental Disabilities, and the County of Santa
Clara Advisory Commission for People with Disabilities. Today she serves
as accessibility expert for the U.S. Department of State, the UN Global
Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies,
and the UN International Telecommunication Union.
Photo of Cynthia Waddell
In 1995, Ms. Waddell authored the first accessible web design standard
in the U.S. that contributed to passage of legislation for Electronic and
Information Technology Accessibility Standards. Her publications
include “Major Issues for Development and Implementation of
Successful Policies and Strategies,” “The Growing Digital Divide in
Access for People with Disabilities: Overcoming Barriers to
Participation” and two books, Web Accessibility: Web Standards and
Regulatory Compliance and Constructing Accessible Web Sites. These two
books include the first global surveys of law and policies addressing
accessible web design.
Ms. Waddell was named to the “Top 25 women on the Web” by
Webgrrls International in 1998, and received the first U.S. Government
Technology Magazine award in 2003 for “Leadership in Accessibility
Technology and for Pioneering Advocacy and Education.” The
CynthiaSays™ web accessibility tool and portal was named after her. Ms.
Waddell holds a JD from Santa Clara University School of Law where she
was designated a Public Interest Disability Rights Scholar. She received
her B.A. cum laude, from USC.
Trevor Finneman is an attorney in Los Angeles. He is active in the local
disability community though his involvement with the Disability Rights
Legal Center, where he sits on the Young Professional Board. Trevor
graduated from UCLA School of Law. In law school, he served as VicePresident of NALSWD, Executive Editor of the UCLA Journal of
Environmental Law and Policy, and as Chair of the UCLA Disability Law
Society. Previously, he graduated from UC-Berkeley with highest honors
and distinction in general scholarship while earning degrees in Political
Science and Religious Studies. Trevor has a severe bilateral hearing loss.
Photo of Trevor Finneman
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5:00 – 5:45
Ian Mackey Newman Keynote Speech
Larry Paradis is co-founder, Executive Director and Co-Director of
Litigation for Disability Rights Advocates (DRA). Previously, he was an
associate and partner at the law firm of Miller, Starr and Regalia where he
focused on complex business litigation as well as pro bono civil rights
work. At DRA, Mr. Paradis specializes in class action and other highimpact disability rights litigation. He has handled many precedent-setting
ADA cases in employment, housing, transportation, education, insurance,
and public accommodations. He has been greatly honored for his
precedent-setting work. The California Lawyer Magazine named him one
of California's Lawyers of the Year for his victories in civil rights cases in
2003, and the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association voted Mr. Paradis
and co-counsel Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2004.
Photo of Larry Paradis
Mr. Paradis is a past member of the President's Committee on the
Employment of People with Disabilities and has been on the board of
organizations such as the Berkeley Center for Independent Living, the
National Council on Disability International Watch Committee, ACLU of
Northern California, Berkeley Commission on Disability, Disability
Statistics Center at UCSF (Advisory Board), and the UCSF Center for
Personal Assistance Services Advisory Committee. He has also assisted
the courts as a court-appointed mediator, as a Ninth Circuit Judicial
Council Lawyer Representative from the U.S. District Court for Northern
District of California, and as a member of a Magistrate Judge Selection
Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Mr.
Paradis graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School.
Cristina Rubke is of counsel at Shartsis Friese LLP. Ms. Rubke is the CoChair of the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF)’s Committee on
Disability Rights and a board member of the Bay Area Association of
Disabled Sailors, a 501(c)(3) organization seeking to make all aspects of
sailing accessible. Recently Ms. Rubke joined the board of Disability Rights
Advocates. Ms. Rubke received BASF’s 2008 Unity Award from the
Minority Bar Coalition.
Photo of Cristina Rubke
Cristina Rubke graduated from UC-Berkeley in 2001 with a degree in
English and received her law degree from Santa Clara University in 2004.
Ms. Rubke received the 2004 Dean’s Special Achievement Award and the
Witkin Award for Legal Research and Writing. During law school, she was
a board member of the National Lawyers Guild and worked with the
Electronic Frontier Foundation and The Impact Fund on civil rights issues.
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NALSWD 2010-2011 Executive Board
Anna Scholin, President, class of 2011 at Stanford Law School, is the
Education Chair of the Social Security & Disability Pro Bono Project and cofounder of the Stanford Association of Law Students for Disability Rights.
She worked her 1L summer developing disability claims for indigent clients
and her 2L summer working in the Disability Rights division of San
Francisco's Employment Law Center. She hopes to join a public interest
law firm after graduation. Anna has a BA from the University of Chicago in
Visual Art, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and with highest honors. Anna
joined the disability community in January of her 1L year when she
experienced sudden onset of severe rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune
disorder that attacks the joints.
Photo of Anna Scholin
Beth Kolbe, Vice President, is currently a 2L at Stanford Law School. At
Stanford, she serves as the Co- President of the Stanford Law Association
and is an Associate Editor of the Stanford Law and Policy Review. Beth is
also active in Stanford’s Social Security and Disability Pro Bono Project.
She has been a member of the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team and has
competed all over the world, most recently in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic
Games. She graduated with Honors from Harvard in 2008 with a Special
Concentration degree in Health Care Policy. Originally a native from Ohio,
Beth has been active in disability rights organizations since high school.
Beth has a spinal cord injury from an accident at the age of 14.
Photo of Beth Kolbe
Michael Nunez, Chief Financial Officer, is a third year student at Stanford
Law School. His interests include civil rights, public policy, and the
intersection of law and technology. Michael’s interests have led him to
work in a variety of organizations such as the Department of Justice, The
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, and Winston & Strawn LLP, a highly
regarded multinational law firm. Michael earned his BA in economics from
Stanford University in 2006.
Photo of Michael Nunez
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Greg Oguss, Chief Information Officer, class of 2013 at the Northwestern
University School of Law, graduated cum laude from Columbia University
with a BA in Economics. Greg also has an MA in Critical Studies from the
University of Southern California where he was an Oakley Fellow. At USC,
Greg served as an assistant instructor in media studies and published
several journal articles. In addition to working for Neighborhood Legal
Services of Los Angeles County in their worker's rights clinic, he has been
a paralegal in New York and Los Angeles. In 1997, Greg was diagnosed
with Type I Diabetes and Peripheral Neuropathy.
Photo of Greg Oguss
Photo of Deepa Goraya
Deepa Goraya, Membership Director, is a 2L at the University of Michigan
Law School. She graduated Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the
University of California, Los Angeles with a BA in English and a double
minor in Classical Civilization and African American Studies. She became
actively involved with the National Federation of the Blind as an
undergraduate and helped build the West Los Angeles Chapter. She then
served as secretary and eventually President of the California Association
of Blind Students (CABS), the student division of the NFB of California.
She established several student committees within CABS, including the
Social Networking Committee to promote equal access to social
networking websites which has become a national effort. Before entering
law school, Deepa interned for Senator Christopher Dodd in Washington,
DC. During her 1L summer, she interned at the White House for Kareem
Dale, the Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. Deepa
was born with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) and is completely blind.
Patrick Dennis, Conference Co-Director, earned his BA in History and
Humanities (Classical Civilizations) from the University of Oregon in 2003
and is currently a 1L at Lewis & Clark Law School. Prior to law school,
Patrick worked in a number of fields including substantial time at credit
unions and universities as well as shorts stints at a comedy club and
veterinary clinic. Patrick joined the disability community in late 2004 when
he was diagnosed with aggressive rheumatoid arthritis.
Photo of Patrick Dennis
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Photo of Nora Devine
Photo of Janice Ta
Special Thanks To:
Nora Devine, Conference Co-Director, Class of 2012 at the University of
San Francisco Law School, is co-founder of the University of San
Francisco's Association of Law Students for Disability Rights. She is also
the USF Law Student Body Representative for Students with Disabilities.
Nora worked her 1L summer at Disability Rights Education and Defense
Fund in Berkeley, CA. She has a BA in Japanese from San Francisco State
University and a certificate in Japanese language studies from Reitaku
University in Japan. After college, Nora spent four years working and
studying in Japan. While in Japan, she became active in the disability
community by volunteering at the Japan Civil Liberties Union and a center
for children with autism. Nora was born with nystagmus and has low
vision.
Janice Ta, Board Liaison, is a recent graduate of Yale Law School. Janice
was born on a Vietnamese refugee camp in Pulau Bidong, Malaysia where
she contracted polio as an infant. She became actively involved with
disability rights while she was an undergraduate, directing the Stanford
Disability Speaker's Bureau to raise awareness of mobility and access
issues on campus. From 2006-2007, she worked as the Program Assistant
and the interim National Coordinator for Disability Mentoring Day at the
American Association of People with Disabilities. She served as President
of the National Association of Law Students with Disabilities from 20092010, after two years as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer.
Melissa Matthews, Esme Grant, Susie Dea, Sasha Boronkay-Flynn, Krista
Selanu, Kathryn Carroll, Noah’s Cousin the Graphic Designer, and
Everyone at Golden Gate University!
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Conference Locations
Fang Restaurant
660 Howard Street
(415) 777-8568
fangrestaurant.com
 Happy Hour 4:30-6:30 Friday!
Golden Gate University
Room 6208 (6th Floor – to the left)
536 Mission St
San Francisco, California 94105
(415) 442-6647
ggu.edu
 All conference events except for the Happy
Hour and Small Group Dinners will take place
in room 6208 at GGU
The Mint Karaoke Lounge
1946 Market Street
(415) 626-4726
 NALSWD Karaoke Party 8:15+ Friday!
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San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 512-1693
Lodging Locations
Club Quarters
424 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 392-7400
clubquarters.com
Sam's Grill & Seafood Restaurant
374 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 421-0594
belden-place.com/samsgrill
Courtyard San Francisco Downtown
299 Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 947-0700
marriott.com/setSCtracking....
Mangia Tutti Ristorante
635 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 788-2088
mangiatuttisf.com
Civic Center Youth Hostel
685 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 474-5721
sfhostels.com
Lers Ros Thai
730 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 931-6917
lersros.com
S F Downtown Hostel
312 Mason Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 788-5604
hiusa.org
Triptych Restaurant
1155 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-3930
(415) 703-0557
triptychsf.com
Hotel Whitcomb
1231 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 487-4460
Poc-Chuc
2886 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-3634
(415) 558-1583
pocchuc.com
Small Group Dinner Locations

Miscellaneous
Reservations for 10 have been made at each
for 7:15 Saturday. Dinner groups will form
directly after the Keynote Speech at 5:45
and will make plans to travel to/meet for
dinner.
Metreon Movie Theater
101 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 369-6000
westfield.com/metreon
Chaat Cafe
320 3rd Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 979-9946
chaatcafes.com
FedEx Office Print & Ship Center
50 Fremont Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 512-7766
fedex.com/office
Pazzia Restaurant
337 3rd Street
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