美國駐華使領館聯袂出品：在線對談美國密西根州第一位盲人最高法院法官
A Virtual Conversation with Justice Richard Bernstein, the first blind justice of the Michigan Supreme Court

時間：8月4日，週五，19:00
Time: Friday, August 4, 19:00
地點：各使領館美國中心請詳見海報
Venue: American Centers in different areas, please see posters
語言：英文配有中文翻譯
Language: English with Chinese translation

注: 此活動為線下活動，嘉賓線上出席
Note: This is an offline event, the speaker will join online

上海美國中心、北京美國中心、廣州美國中心、瀋陽美國中心和美國駐武漢領事館攜手合作，非常榮幸地邀請到密歇根州全州選民選出的第一位盲人最高法官Richard Bernstein，與感興趣的公眾進行在線對談，講述他的職業和個人生活故事。作為一名從出生起就失明的人，伯恩斯坦法官不得不與法學院招生委員會進行鬥爭，以允許他參加 LSAT 考試並進入法學院學習，而他的大部分法律工作都是保護殘疾人的權利，並且大部分的案件都是公益的。他稱殘疾人權益倡導是他畢生的工作。業餘時間，伯恩斯坦還是一名長跑者，完成了 25 場馬拉松比賽和1個鐵人賽事。歡迎參加這個勵志的講座！
In collaboration with Beijing American Center, Guangzhou American Center, Shenyang American Center and Wuhan Consulate, Shanghai American Center is honored to invite Justice Richard Bernstein, the first blind justice elected by voters statewide in Michigan to have a virtual conversation with interested public on his professional and personal life story. As a legally blind person from birth, Justice Bernstein had to fight the Law School Admission Council for equal opportunity to take the LSAT test and enter law school.  As a lawyer, much of his legal work focused on protecting the rights of people with disabilities, often taking on cases pro bono.  He considers advocacy for persons with disabilities as his life's work. In his spare time, Justice Bernstein is an avid runner, completing 25 marathons and completed one iron man challenge. Please join us for this inspiration talk!

嘉賓介紹 About the Speaker:



密西根州最高法院盲人法官理查德 · 伯恩斯坦

由全州選民選舉產生，理查德 · 伯恩斯坦法官于 2014 年 11 月成為密歇根州最高法院的第一位盲人法官。伯恩斯坦致力於維護正義和公平，於 2015 年 1 月開始了他的八年任期。

在被選舉成為密西根州最高法院律師之前，作為一名律師，伯恩斯坦法官就因其堅持不懈倡導殘障權利而聞名，曾是位於密西根州法明頓的The Sam Bernstein Law Firm律師公司的公共服務部門負責人。生為盲人，伯恩斯坦法官畢業于密西根大學，並入選Phi Beta Kappa學會(美國大學優等生榮譽學會)，並在伊利諾伊州芝加哥的西北大學法學院獲得法學博士學位。

伯恩斯坦法官堅信，倡導就是行動。他一直致力於利用自己的技能和培訓為客戶伸張正義。他的案件通常會為保護殘疾人和非殘疾人權利和安全建立全美標準。在他的私人執業案件中，他代表美國癱瘓退役軍人協會與美國司法部合作對密歇根大學提起訴訟，要求在大學對於體育館所做的調整無法滿足殘疾參觀者進入和使用時，應該為其設立通道方便安全進入，該案例幫助建立了全國所有商業設施都採納的有關無障礙設施的工作指導方針。他還向紐約市發起挑戰，要求讓中央公園及其所有公園對遊客來說更安全，並讓殘疾人士和視力障礙者更容易進入。

他還成功地與美國司法部合作，迫使底特律市修復其公交車上損壞的輪椅升降機，開創了公共交通無障礙的先例。伯恩斯坦法官還代表當地的殘疾居民反對密歇根州奧克蘭縣道路委員會，因為“環形交叉路口”交通圈的建造沒有為殘疾人提供無障礙設施，影響了未來美國 1990 年殘疾人法案 (ADA) 在美國各地道路建設的合規性。此外，在一項針對達美航空公司和底特律大都會機場的具有里程碑意義的和解中，伯恩斯坦大法官為殘疾飛行人員爭取到了無障礙待遇，為 1990 年《美國殘疾人法案》如何涵蓋航空公司和機場設定了標準。

作為教育的支持者，伯恩斯坦大法官主張並贏得了全州特殊教育基金的保留，並向美國律師協會提起聯邦訴訟，要求其根據法學院入學考試的要求結束對盲人學生的歧視性做法。

Justice Richard Bernstein

Justice Richard Bernstein became the first blind justice, elected by voters statewide, to the Michigan Supreme Court in November 2014. With a commitment to justice and fairness, Bernstein began his eight-year term in January 2015.

Prior to being elected to Michigan’s highest court, Justice Bernstein was known as a tireless advocate for disability rights as an attorney, heading the public service division for The Sam Bernstein Law Firm in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Blind since birth, Justice Bernstein is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan and earned his juris doctor from Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, Illinois.

Justice Bernstein believes advocacy is about action. He has been committed to using his skills and training to achieve justice for his clients. Justice Bernstein’s cases often set national standards protecting the rights and safety of people with and without disabilities. Among his cases in private practice, he represented the Paralyzed Veterans of America in partnership with the United States Department of Justice in an action against the University of Michigan to allow for safe access for individuals with disabilities when the university’s alterations to the stadium failed to accommodate and represent disabled visitors. The case helped establish guidelines that are used by all commercial facilities across the country. He also challenged the City of New York to make Central Park and all of its parks safer for visitors and accessible for people with disabilities and visual impairments.

He also successfully partnered with the United States Department of Justice to force the City of Detroit to fix broken wheelchair lifts on its buses, establishing a precedent for accessibility in public transportation. Justice Bernstein also represented residents with disabilities against the Oakland County Road Commission in Michigan after “roundabout” traffic circles were built without accessibility for people with disabilities, impacting future Americans with Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) compliance for road construction throughout the United States. Further, in a landmark settlement against Delta Airlines and Detroit Metro Airport, Justice Bernstein gained accessibility for fliers with disabilities, setting the standard for how airlines and airports are to be covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

A proponent of education, Justice Bernstein argued for, and won, preservation of special education funding throughout the state and filed a federal suit against the American Bar Association to put an end to its discriminatory practices toward blind students via requirement of the Law School Admissions Test.

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Do not bring a laptop or video camera with you.

上海
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北京
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廣州
(觀眾可提前45分鐘入場，無需註冊，觀眾不允許攜帶手機)

武漢
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瀋陽
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文章來源：美國駐華大使館