Showing Vision of Another Kind
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Vision of Another Kind Detroit Free Press - Editorial By Ron Dzwonkowski, Free Press Columnist October 20, 2002 Of all the political candidates I've met in the past few weeks, Rick Bernstein is hands-down the most memorable. Nominated by the Michigan Democratic Party for a seat on the Wayne State University Board of Governors, Bernstein is a 28-year-old lawyer who's running hard for a position that, in the pantheon of political offices, is pretty obscure. Bernstein's quest would be notable enough for the sheer effort he's making, but it stands out even more because he's blind. While I suppose it's no longer acceptable in some quarters to marvel at the achievements of people with disabilities, it's hard to avoid it with Bernstein. Operating mainly on an extraordinarily well-developed memory, he has succeeding in a field where careers rise or fall on the strength of words, often written words. "A punctuation mark in the wrong place can change a legal meaning," Bernstein said. "I wouldn't say I have a better memory than most people. We all have the same amount of memory. I just use mine more . . . They taught me Braille, but I thought it was for blind people and I didn't like using it. I get a little stubborn sometimes. Besides, I would have needed a forklift to bring in the books in Braille for Law School." Relying on memory has made Bernstein a very good listener and an efficient manager of time, since he may have to have a complex legal matter read to him several times before he knows it well enough to formulate a response. That was how Bernstein took his exams at Northwestern University Law School in Chicago. How he got there is a story in itself. Bernstein never took the standard LSAT -- Law School Admissions Test -- because he said it was unfair to blind people. Too many questions involved charts and diagrams. He got enough people on his side at Northwestern to gain admission on the basis of his undergraduate work at the University of Michigan, his advocacy work for the disabled and the recommendations of just about everyone who's ever met him. Going to school in Chicago worked well for him because, unlike Detroit, it has an accessible public transit system that Bernstein could navigate. Here, he relies on drivers, often is father, Sam Bernstein, probably the Detroit area's second-best-known lawyer, behind Southfield's Geoffrey Fieger. Rick Bernstein is one of 13 attorneys in his father's Farmington Hills office. The elder Bernstein said his son's caseload is somewhat limited because of the extra time he needs, but "his track record is very good, he does trial work and he's a very effective communicator." Sam Bernstein said his son has also generated considerable pro bono work for the firm, that is cases taken on for free because Bernstein believes in the cause. "It seems like every organization he comes in contact with, once he gets into it, he's their lawyer," said the senior Bernstein. "He energizes people to take action. People love him." Rick Bernstein never had any doubt he'd become a lawyer. It's all he's ever wanted to be and, from his standpoint, the best place from which to pursue his passion. "I'm for the people without a franchise, people who are vulnerable," he said. "It's hard work. If you're going to do it, you do it because you're passionate about it or you don't do it at all." Rick Bernstein decided to seek public office after taking on a public policy issue. He was an organizer and spokesperson for grassroots opposition to proposed changes in statewide rules for special education. The most drastic changes, which Bernstein said would have "warehoused" special ed students, were scuttled early this year. "He's an amazing individual," said one of Bernstein's clients, a suburban man who had a special-education issue involving his son and their local school district. "He was the main attorney in the settlement. He has a very organized mind, a very sharp mind -- and he's a sweet guy as well." The client asked that his name not be used because terms of the settlement preclude publicizing it. Bernstein has predictably thrown himself into the race for the WSU board, spending hours on campus, talking to students and researching issues. He is believed to be the first blind person to seek statewide elective office in Michigan. "The regular citizens would be really impressed if they knew everything that was going on there (at WSU), and how the commuter students overcome all these obstacles to complete their education," Bernstein said. This is a guy who knows something about obstacles. Ultimately, we didn't endorse Bernstein for the WSU board, not because he wasn't deserving, but because the two incumbents are doing a good job at a time when continuity is important for the school. But I wouldn't mind a bit if Bernstein won. |
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