’99 Attorney, Specializing in Work With Children With Special Needs

After graduation, I worked as an administrative assistant in New York City for about a year and a half before joining the Peace Corps in Cote d’Ivoire. I actively considered pursuing a Masters in STS after I returned but opted for a J.D. instead. Today I am an attorney at Kotin, Crabtree, and Strong LLP, where I primarily represent families with children who have special needs. 

In my line of work, I am regularly confronted by people who question whether or not parents should “be allowed” to bring disabled children into the world as well as those who believe that the disabled should conform to the mainstream view of what “normal” is—sometimes without accepting the possibility that not all disabled people view their disabilities as problematic. It has been very useful as an attorney to draw on my STS experience and be able to consider theories and arguments from many different disciplines and viewpoints. In fact, I even remember debating these same issues in my bioethics class at Vassar. I try to carry with me the valuable insights I learned then into my professional discussions today.