At MSBA’s Legal Summit in June 2024, a panel discussed the transformative potential of emerging technologies and their impact on law students, lawyers and judges with disabilities. The discussion focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and how AI can significantly enhance accessibility for these groups. This article summarizes their informative presentation.
Oxford languages defines AI as “the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.” AI tools use large language models. Large language models (LLM) are trained on large datasets (information). They perform statistical analysis and probability to create responses to specific questions or prompts. LLMs are good at coherence, summarizing large chunks of text, re-writing text and writing first drafts.
AI offers tools for lawyers with disabilities, enhancing accessibility and efficiency in their work. AI-powered speech recognition software can transcribe spoken words into text in real-time, which is invaluable for lawyers with hearing impairments or those who are unable to type. This technology not only allows them to engage with spoken content during trials and depositions but also facilitates communication with clients and colleagues. AI can also assist visually impaired lawyers through advanced text-to-speech programs and screen readers that convert written documents into audible speech. This enables them to review case files, legal documents, and correspondences independently, ensuring they have equal access to information. AI-driven predictive analytics can help lawyers with physical disabilities by reducing the need for manual research. These systems can sift through vast amounts of legal data to predict outcomes, suggest relevant precedents, and draft legal documents, thereby minimizing physical strain and maximizing productivity. By leveraging these AI tools, lawyers with disabilities can overcome some of the barriers they face, allowing them to practice law more effectively and on a more equal footing with their peers.
AI can be a huge timesaver in a law office by automating routine tasks, such as document review and case prediction, reducing the physical demands on lawyers with mobility issues and allowing them to focus on the more strategic aspects of their work. Other examples on how AI can help in the office include legal and practical research, time-saving first drafts, and client interaction (chatbots). LLMs can also be trained to understand individual user needs, adapting interfaces and workflows to suit different disability requirements, thus creating a more inclusive working environment.
Known dangers of AI tools to keep in mind. Some AI tools frequently produce responses replete with fictional information. They are not one hundred percent accurate one hundred percent of the time. Training bias in LLMs is an additional downside of AI. It refers to the prejudicial or skewed data used to train the LLM. If prejudicial data is used to train the LLM, then the output may also be unfair, or discriminatory. Meredith Whittaker, of the AI Now Institute at NYU, recognized that “much AI bias research and reporting has focused on race and gender, there has been much less attention paid to AI bias and disability. . .” Because of this training bias, AI outcomes may be discriminatory towards individuals with disabilities.
Perhaps it is reflective to remember that Ms. Whitaker so eloquently reminded us that “Disabled people have been subject to historical and present-day marginalization, much of which has excluded them from access to power, resources, and opportunity. And such patterns of marginalization are imprinted in the data that shapes AI systems, and embed these histories in the logics of AI, meaning that those who’ve been subject to discrimination in the past, are most at risk of harm from AI in the present.”
Summary. AI powered speech or visual perception tools can help improve communications for individuals with disabilities. The AI driven text to speech, speech to text, image to text, and text to image are invaluable tools for the visual or hearing impaired. The integration of AI into a legal practice may significantly level the playing field for lawyers with disabilities but it also promotes a more diverse and dynamic legal workforce. By reducing the physical and cognitive load, AI empowers all lawyers to contribute their unique expertise and perspectives, regardless of disability. As AI technology continues to advance, its role in fostering an inclusive legal community becomes increasingly significant, ensuring that every lawyer has the tools they need to succeed.
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This article was inspired from the presentation Is A.I. Coming For You, by Gary Norman, Richard Shermanski, Jr., Meredith Girard and Patricia Stockland, as part of the MSBA’s 2024 Legal Summit in Ocean City.
Mr. Gary C. Norman was a Presidential Management Fellow in 2000 with the federal government after graduating from Wright State University and Cleveland State university. He received his Masters in Letters of Law at Washington College of Law in 2011. In 2020, Gary received the Administrator’s Award at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for his work on healthcare accessibility and quality policy related to people with disabilities. He served as Chair of the Board of Commissioners at the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights from 2018 to 2021. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Maryland State Bar Association, a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation and has served on, and serves on, the Board for the Leadership Academy of the Maryland State Bar Association.
Richard E. Shermanski, Jr. is the Associate Director, Ethics Adjudication for the American Speech-Language-hearing Association (ASHA). He has assisted in adjudicating over 800 cases while at ASHA, writes about ethics issues for ASHA’s publications, and is the Board of Ethics Parliamentarian. Richard attended Penn State University and received two Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and history, and his law degree is from WEstern Michigan Thomas Cooley Law School. He currently serves as a second-term Commissioner for the Montgomery County Commission for People with Disabilities and currently advocates for Attorneys with disabilities.
Meredith Girard is a social justice advocate based in Easton, MD. Meredith joined Mid-Shore Pro Bono as a volunteer attorney in 2017,joined the staff as managing attorney in 2019, and is now executive director. She has a J.D. and Masters of Environmental law from Vermont Law School and has been a member of the Maryland Bar since 1997.
Patricia Stockland is the Chief Content Officer for the MSBA and is responsible for shaping the strategic direction of product offerings to support the community. Patricia was founder and CEO of Kind World Publishing and Consulting, LLC, publisher for Capstone, VP and editor in chief for Lerner Publishing Group, and editorial director for Red Line Editorial. She holds a M.A. in Literature, a B.A. in English, and a mini-MBA in marketing management.