Brown, Goldstein & Levy proudly continued our tradition of sponsoring and attending the National Federation of the Blind’s (NFB) annual National Convention, hosted this year from July 3 to 8 in Austin, Texas. The Convention is the world’s largest gathering of blind people, bringing in over 2,400 in-person attendees. The transformative event offers attendees hundreds of sessions, presentations, and opportunities to build community and organize during a variety of different events. Additionally, the Convention serves as a space to democratically elect NFB’s leadership and set agenda priorities for the 2026 to 2027 term.
During the general session, Managing Partner Jessie Weber addressed the Convention in a speech entitled “Bending the Arc of the Universe Towards Justice: Representing the Organized Blind Movement in the Courts.” Drawing on her extensive experience, she shared lessons on the importance of pursuing full equality for the blind, rather than accepting “good enough” outcomes that fall short of full equality and inclusion. Currently, Jessie represents blind students and the National Federation of the Blind in litigation against the Los Angeles Community College District, and obtained a jury verdict finding LACCD violated plaintiffs’ rights under Title II of the ADA by denying them an equal educational experience, including through the use of inaccessible technology, and awarding the individual plaintiffs more than $240,000 in damages—a verdict recently reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
In addition to Jessie, BGL was represented by Josh Auerbach, Monica Basche, Andy Freeman, Eve Hill, Lauren Kelleher, Neel Lalchandani, Marisa Leib-Neri, Anisha Queen, Aranda Stathers, Jamie Strawbridge, and Samantha Westrum. Eve currently leads BGL’s work on behalf of the NFB with support from the firm’s robust disability rights practice area team. One of the country’s leading disability rights attorneys, Eve also co-leads Inclusivity, BGL’s Strategic Consulting Group, which helps businesses and organizations achieve compliance with the laws supporting people with disabilities.
Founding partner Dan Goldstein was also in attendance. Dan first took on the role of the NFB’s counsel in 1986. Since then, BGL has represented the nearly 50,000 NFB members, winning significant victories in groundbreaking and highly impactful cases. Our work with the NFB has shaped how courts interpret the Americans with Disabilities Act and has sought—and found—justice for clients in cases ranging from employment, education, technology accessibility, parental rights, voting and more.
BGL sponsored the convention alongside corporations such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Target, Uber, Meta, and Delta. We are committed to standing beside the NFB and collaborating in our fight for justice and the breaking down of barriers that blind people and their families face every day. Learn more about our commitment to disability rights here.
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, criminal defense, and appellate advocacy. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.