How They Did It

Large Corporation:
Attorney

BACKGROUND: Jack Evert has never understood why the phrase "blind lawyer" seems like such an oxymoron to most folks. He wanted to be an attorney ever since he can remember; the fact that he was blind, he figured, might mean it would take a little longer to reach his goal, but it sure wasn't going to stop him. He did well at the University of Chicago's law school, with help from earlier generations of assistive tools and a paid reader. In his first years in practice, he got a lot of courtroom experience: these days, working as Monexko Chemical's chief legal counsel, he's only occasionally involved in courtroom battles, so he also puts in about 10 hours a month for the Cook County Legal Aid office.

SOLUTION: Given his company's Fortune 500 ranking, Jack's got top-of-the-line equipment to help him do his job. He's got a screen reader program with speech output for the computer on his desk (the reader goes for about $600, the speech synthesizer, $200) as well as a portable refreshable Braille display ($5,500). The Braille display also can attach to his laptop, which is especially useful when he's in a courtroom situation. The speech synthesizer provides easy access to internet-based legal databases such as Westlaw and Lexis. This makes it possible for him to research a case with relative ease; it takes him a little longer than a sighted person, but he's gotten good at using screen shortcuts. In situations where the sound would interfere, he uses headphones.

In addition, Jack's got a specialized scanning system ($1,200) that allows him to scan documents that aren't available some other way. (Much legal documentation, however, is now available in electronic form--including depositions.) Using his Braille translator ($500), Jack can take an electronic document or text file and translate into Braille. He even has a Braille printer ($4,000) that he uses to prepare notes for meetings and other situations.

When Jack's involved in a trial, he makes sure to get there early with his guide dog and an assistant. Together, they scope out the courtroom layout, figure where people sit, and the dog takes her place quietly beneath their table. In addition, there are occasions when Jack needs to hire a human reader to help him sort through, read, and describe courtroom exhibits ($12-20 an hour).

Thanks to Jack's professional success and skill in persuasively addressing a crowd, he's been a sought-after speaker at many professional conferences. Last year, in fact, he delivered the keynote to the thousand-plus attendees at the annual convention of the Association of Blind Lawyers in Atlanta.