All posts by tiffanyhblackmon

Disability Law Section Executive Committee Openings

The nominating committee is currently seeking section members who would like to join next year’s executive committee. The Disability Law Section Executive Committee has several openings on the committee for 2022-23. The Committee is made up of a Chair, Chair Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Members-at-Large. We are seeking nominations (self-nominations welcome) for all positions. Voting will take place in December, and the new members will begin their roles in January 2022. If you’re interested in a role, please email [email protected] by the end of November.

FBA Social Security Section Message

The Federal Bar Association’s Social Security Section shared the below message today:

“Help Get Congress to Include as Much of the SSI Restoration Act as possible into the upcoming Reconciliation Bill.

Items that we will be fighting to include in the reconciliation bill include:

  • Increasing the SSI benefit rate to at least 100% of the Federal Poverty Level and adjusting it annually to keep pace with inflation;
  • Eliminating “in-kind support and maintenance” (ISM) as a type of countable income;
  • Increasing and inflation-indexing resource limits for the first time since 1989;
  • Updating the earned and general income disregards, which have not been adjusted since 1974; and
  • Eliminating installment payment requirements and extending the time SSI recipients have to spend down retroactive benefits.

The Reconciliation bill is currently in mark-up so time is of the essence.

Text SignPXPBNX to 59409 today if possible.”

 

Disability Law Section-Executive Committee Openings in 2022-23

The Disability Law Section Executive Committee will have openings for the 2022-23 year. The committee includes:

  • Chair
  • Chair Elect
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • General members

If you’re interested in a position, please feel free to reach out with any questions ([email protected]), or if you’d like to attend a meeting this year to see what being on the committee entails. The nominating committee will be seeking members who are interested in a position in November, with voting taking place in December, so new members can begin their roles January 2022.

MBA CLE: Practicing Law with Invisible Disabilities

The MBA is hosting the following CLE:

Practicing Law with Invisible Disabilities: 

Tools, Insights, and Methods for Lawyers Experiencing or Supporting Lawyers with Disabilities
Thursday, June 10 from Noon-1:30 pm
Remote attendance only via Zoom
1.5 hours of MCLE Access to Justice credit will be applied for
Free for MBA members; $25 for non-members
The MBA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee will host a 90-minute CLE highlighting Oregon lawyers practicing law with invisible disabilities and how they successfully manage the unique challenges of invisible disabilities. The program will address invisible disabilities including vision, speech, and attention differences faced by hundreds of Oregon lawyers.

Attendees will become more adept at working with attorneys experiencing invisible disabilities as colleagues and opposing counsel. Those experiencing different abilities will know they are not alone and stand in solidarity with others similarly situated.

Our distinguished panel has unique insights into issues of attention deficit, organizational challenges, or communication issues and will share what they have learned and offer tools and insights. Please join us as we learn from practitioners experiencing, coaching, and supporting colleagues practicing law with differing abilities.

Our panel includes:

     Heather Decker, a Productivity Coach for lawyers and service professionals.

     Yael Livny, a government employment and labor lawyer.
     John Robb, a trial attorney with Kevin Sali LLC.
     Bryan Welch, an attorney counselor with the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program.
Register here.

Courtroom Hearing Loop Advocacy Efforts

Ginevra Ralph, who is Co-Founder of The Shedd Institute, a concert hall in Eugene, has been involved in getting hearing loops installed in community venues. She is planning to work on removing barriers in courtrooms, including working to get hearing loop systems in courtrooms in Oregon. She is interested in any stories that will help strengthen the case for why hearing loops are needed in courtrooms (ie: attorneys who had difficulty hearing during trial, or potential jurors who could not serve because they could not hear well enough to do so, etc.), and in talking through the work needed to get loops in courtrooms. If you’re interested in reaching out to her regarding this topic, Ginevra’s contact info is: (541) 434-7000, [email protected] 

Read more about the hearing loops installed at The Shedd and the Eugene Airport:

Shedd Article: Music To Their Ears

Eugene Airport Hearing Loop Press Release