A letter from the Chairperson

Thank you for your interest in the Midwest Center on Law and the Deaf (MCLD), the only center of its kind in the country.

There are approximately 28 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans. Many are unable to get adequate legal services. These individuals want to make estate plans, recover funds for a car accident, get a divorce, adopt a child, execute a will, buy or sell a house, file for bankruptcy, or defend against criminal charges.

Getting through life without legal representation is virtually impossible, yet it is so hard for deaf and hard of hearing people to find willing and accessible lawyers. Bar associations attempt to refer them to lawyers, but the lawyers are usually ill-equipped or reluctant to assist persons with such disabilities. Frustration builds as lawyer after lawyer reject them.

The American ideal of equal justice for all is grossly lacking for this large segment of our population. When I became a lawyer in 1992, I was alarmed by the lack of adequate legal services for deaf and hard of hearing people. As a profoundly deaf person, I was so affected by this lack of access that I created the Midwest Center on Law and the Deaf to solve this problem.

How does MCLD serve this population? MCLD:

• Trains and recruits attorneys to serve the unique needs of deaf and hard of hearing clients
• Educates deaf and hard of hearing people on their rights
• Trains interpreters on how to deal with the unique challenges of working within a courtroom or other legal settings
• Provides resources to families and friends of deaf and hard of hearing people
• Prepares law enforcement officers to effectively communicate with deaf and hard of hearing people
• Aids courts in ensuring full access to the justice system by deaf and hard of hearing parties, attorneys, witnesses, jurors, and spectators

Gratefully,
Howard A. Rosenblum, Esq.
MCLD Chair

MCLD Staff

Associate Director
Karen Aguilar received an undergraduate degree in Pre-law from Michigan State University and a Masters of Jurisprudence in Health Law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Ms. Aguilar has been signing since childhood, is fluent in American Sign Language, and is a certified sign language interpreter. Ms. Aguilar has trained attorneys, judges, and police officers about the rights of persons who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, and educated the Deaf and hard of hearing communities about their rights under state and federal laws throughout the United States.

MCLD History