During the month of July, print materials on all aspects of immigration law will be on display throughout the Law Library. Treatises such as Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook and a number of CLE coursebooks from TexasBarCLE will be featured. You’ll also find immigration law resources in the Law Library’s digital collection, including official immigration forms through Westlaw and the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal on HeinOnline.
Tech Tuesday: Technology Fosters Independence
Technology fosters independence, providing resources for vulnerable populations -- the elderly, the disabled, and the indigent -- to engage with the world in new and meaningful ways
On this Tech Tuesday, as we approach the 4th of July holiday, we at the Harris County Law Library are reflecting on how technology empowers us to be more independent. For the elderly, advances in technology offer opportunities for greater autonomy. For those with disabilities, accessible design provides freedoms that previous generations could only imagine. And in the law, information technology (with the aid of public law libraries) has opened new avenues for self-represented litigants to access justice and the legal system.
Smart Tech for the Elderly
As we age, maintaining our independence and autonomy is important to us all. Thanks to "smart home" technologies, telemedicine, wearable sensors, and digital assistants, such as Alexa, Cortana, and Siri, many older people who rely on caretakers to assist them in the tasks of daily living now have tech alternatives for "monitored independence." For those with cognitive or mobility impairments, the future looks bright as well. For an excellent resource on this subject, consult Technology Tips for Seniors, a publication of the American Bar Association. Volume II will be published in August.
Accessible Design for the Disabled
To ensure online accessibility for all, web designers need to present information in ways that account for differences in how people interact with online resources. Accessible design of online content allows those with visual impairments, for example, to navigate the Internet more easily. Therefore, web design standards that specify requirements for accessible design are an important part of digital content development, and mobile apps should meet the same standards. Increasingly, developers are creating apps to facilitate greater navigability of the physical world, especially for those who travel on wheels.
Innovative tech designers are using the crowd-sourcing capabilities of mobile device tracking and user feedback to create apps for civic improvement, including apps that help mitigate barriers for people with disabilities. Google Maps, for example, now offers route suggestions (in a limited but growing number of cities) for the best path of wheelchair travel on city streets, and other apps help those with low vision.
Information Technology for Self-Represented Litigants
The justice system can be difficult to navigate. For those who represent themselves, resources for learning about and engaging with the legal system are invaluable. That's why websites such as TexasLawHelp.org are a lifeline to people in need of legal assistance but who are unable to afford legal representation. However, as we've noted previously, many people with modest means still face major barriers to accessing the Internet. Fortunately, public law libraries help remove some of those barriers by providing computers with Internet access, educational programs to inform people about the legal system, and legal assistance from volunteer lawyers or lawyer-librarians. We at the Harris County Law Library strive every day to provide assistance for those unfamiliar with the law and inspire the independence to act confidently on one's own behalf.
The common goal of all these solutions is to ease access and navigability -- of daily living, of the digital and physical world, and of the legal system. Tech design modifications for easier access to information and ideas are critical as information is key to independence in all areas of life. Improving the user experience for all people should be a shared goal of the tech community. Seniors, people with disabilities, and pro se litigants must not be left out of the design equation.
Gender Marker and Name Change Resources for Transgender Individuals in Texas
For the transgender community, updating one's identification and other legal documents is an important and necessary step to achieving a complete transition. Finding the right resources to help transgender individuals navigate the Texas court system can be a challenge. Fortunately, the Houston Volunteer Lawyers are ready to assist. HVL offers regular legal clinics to guide individuals through the legal transition process, providing assistance in drafting the forms required for a gender marker and/or name change. Simply visit the HVL website for details about the application and pre-screening process. Submit your completed Gender Marker Questionnaire to an HVL staff attorney who will review all applicants for suitability prior to making an appointment for the next gender marker clinic.
Travis County Law Library in Austin also provides resources for those in need of assistance in drafting documents for a gender marker and/or name change. Visit the Travis County Law Library website for detailed information and forms. These forms are drafted specifically for use in the Travis County courts.
The University of Texas Law School also offers help via its student-run initiative, the Trans Name and Gender Marker Project, whose stated mission is "to provide low-income trans applicants with free, high-quality services in preparing petitions for legal name and gender marker changes." Like the Houston Volunteer Lawyers, the Trans Name and Gender Marker Project at the University of Texas Law School requires all interested applicants to complete a short intake form, but once accepted, transgender individuals will get the help they need to both draft a petition for the requested changes as well as guidance in how to proceed with changing identification and other legal documents once a court order is granted.
For additional information about the legal rights and challenges of transgender individuals, consult the book, Transgender Persons and the Law, which is available in our print collection at the Harris County Law Library. And don't forget to ask for assistance from our reference staff who are always available to help answer questions and direct library patrons to further resources
On a final note, sometimes the best information and support come from within one's own community. The Texas Name and Gender Marker Change Facebook group is a good place to look for answers to commonly asked questions from others who have completed the legal transition process.
Latest & Greatest – Prisoners’ Rights: A Legal Research Guide
By Carol A. Fichtelman
Published by William S. Hein & Co., Inc. (2017)
KF 9371 .F53 2017
The 68th volume in a collection of research guides, Prisoners’ Rights: A Legal Research Guide provides researchers with a resource covering the rights of those who are incarcerated in either a federal or state facility. Author Carol A. Fichtelman focuses her attention on both primary and secondary resources and includes some handy websites that might act as good starting points for research. Of course, the first and foremost primary source when it comes to prisoners’ rights is the United States Constitution, and the author readily directs the user to the pertinent sections. In addition to the Constitution, the author points out applicable federal statutes and regulations. She also devotes a section to listing various federal agencies that deal with the rights of prisoners. Also included in the section detailing primary sources are state statutes concerning the laws on diet, religious beliefs, health care, punishment, and grooming.
The second part of the guide focuses on secondary resources. These include legal encyclopedias, specific volumes of American Law Reports, legal periodical articles, books, and a listing of national and state prisoners’ rights organizations.
Although not meant to be a comprehensive guide, Prisoners’ Rights: A Legal Research Guide provides some of the tools necessary to locate information about the ever-changing area of prisoners’ rights.
The Legacy of Lawrence v. Texas, Fifteen Years Later
Our regular Tech Tuesday feature will return next week.
Fifteen years ago today, on June 26, 2003, the United States Supreme Court decided Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003). This landmark case struck down the Texas sodomy law which criminalized consensual sexual conduct between same-sex partners. The decision effectively recognized the right to privacy for intimate conduct between consenting adults in all fifty states.
Today is also that day that marks the five year anniversary of United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S. 744 (2013), which struck down as unconstitutional the federal Defense of Marriage Act's definition of "marriage" as a union between opposite-sex spouses. And just three years ago today, the Supreme Court held in Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. ___ (2015), that all states must lawfully recognize and perform marriages for same-sex couples throughout the nation.
During the month of June, the Harris County Law Library is recognizing these and other landmark civil rights victories for LGBT people and their families. Our exhibit, LGBT Legal Resources, features landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases, historic federal legislation, and resources from the Law Library's print collection. Stop by the Law Library lobby to view the exhibit through the end of June.
Also, you may wish to visit the digital collection of Lawrence v. Texas resources created and maintained by The Fred Parks Law Library at South Texas College of Law. The Special Collections Department at The Fred Parks Law Library houses the records of the Lawrence case, which were graciously donated by one of the attorneys on the case, South Texas alumnus and Adjunct Professor Mitchell Katine.