Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein will be here at MSU on Tuesday, October 12th from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. to reflect on his experience with working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for three months. He will share his perspective on living in Israel for three months in 2021 and the efforts he made to forge relationships and develop a common understanding of the struggles faced by those with disabilities. He will also go in-depth on how leaders and community members of each country worked to promote cooperation in the areas of job placement programs, education, and athletic opportunities.
Justice Bernstein, who has been blind since birth, was invited by the UAE to help draft policy empowering persons with disabilities. With Bernstein’s guidance, Israeli organizations created new initiatives and projects to assist those with disabilities while developing relationships of mutual understanding through shared experiences. Advocacy work like this is nothing new to Justice Bernstein. In November 2014, Justice Bernstein was elected as the first blind justice to the Michigan Supreme Court. Prior to being elected to this position, Justice Bernstein led the public service division for The Sam Bernstein Law Firm, where he became known as a dedicated advocate for disability rights. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University School of Law.
RCPD director, Mike Hudson, is looking forward to welcoming Justice Bernstein to MSU stating, “Justice Bernstein is an energizing leader in our community and globally. He pursues possibility and envisions disability as a natural part of the human experience. We are pleased to welcome him to campus as a unifier of purpose and human potential.”
Event details -
What: MI Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein: “The Human Face of the Abraham Accords: Disability as a Common Struggle”
Where: Kellogg Center Lincoln Room
When: Tuesday, October 12 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Additional Details: RSVPs are not required but are appreciated to mentzela@msu.edu. This event is free.
Co-sponsors for this event include -
- College of Arts and Letters
- College of Social Science
- James Madison College
- Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives
- Center for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies
- College of Law
- Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities