FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACTS:
Barry C. Taylor, Legal Advocacy Director
(312) 341-0022, ext. 7317, (800) 537-2632
TTY (800) 610-2779
Alan Goldstein, PABSS Manager, ext. 7318
Stephanie Ettelson
Public Information Director
(847) 433-4535
Attorney Takes Helm of Social Security Employment Project for Disability Rights Organization
Alan Goldstein Advocates, Represents and Educates Social Security Beneficiaries on Their Employment Rights
Chicago, Ill. (May 22, 2003) -- Attorney Alan M. Goldstein has been named Manager of the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) Project at Equip for Equality (EFE), the federally mandated P&A for people with mental and physical disabilities in Illinois. The PABSS Project is funded by the Social Security Administration pursuant to the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act.
Among his responsibilities, Goldstein provides advice, advocacy and legal representation for Social Security beneficiaries on their rights to secure, regain or retain employment. He also conducts training seminars on employment rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Ticket to Work for people with disabilities, their families, employers, and service providers and agencies. Assisting Goldstein in the PABSS Project is advocate Cheryl Martin.
"Alan is an enormous asset to our staff because of his impressive credentials in all three areas that are critical to the Project - expertise in Social Security, ADA litigation and public education presentations," says Barry Taylor, Equip for Equality Legal Advocacy Director. "Additionally, he has a range of disability-related experiences, both professional and volunteer, that will add an exceptional dimension to his work."
From 1989 until joining Equip for Equality in February 2003, Goldstein maintained his own law practice, specializing in advocacy and training in employment law, ADA litigation in federal court, Social Security law and general litigation.
Before starting his own firm, he worked for small and medium-sized law firms, where he litigated cases involving worker's compensation, personal injury, immigration law, criminal law and corporate law. More recently, he served as an arbitrator in the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program.
A graduate of the DePaul University College of Law and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received his B.A. in economics, Goldstein also has broad training experience with the ADA, including sports-related issues. He has conducted trainings for such diverse audiences as the Chicago Bar Association, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), Abilities Expo and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
His volunteer endeavors also speak to his qualifications. He first became involved in disability issues at the Center for Disability and Elder Law and at RIC with the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Sports Program, which named him 1994 Coach of the Year and 1993 Volunteer of the Year. He coached the 1996 U.S. Paralympic Powerlifting Team and was a powerlifting coach for Wheelchair Sports U.S.A.
Additionally, Goldstein worked with the Illinois Alliance for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Council for Disability Rights, and served on the board of directors of the Jewish Vocational Service, the USCP Athletic Association and on RIC's Associate Board.
"I feel that my entire legal career has been leading up to this opportunity," says Goldstein. "The people at Equip for Equality are wonderful, and this position offers me the chance to contribute to the community in a meaningful way. There's a Jewish teaching that says assisting others to help themselves is the highest duty an individual can fulfill. My work with EFE will allow me to do just that." Goldstein, his wife, Laura, and their two children reside in Lincolnwood, Ill.
Equip for Equality is the independent, private, not-for-profit organization designated by the Governor in 1985 to administer the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) System for safeguarding the rights of people with physical and mental disabilities in Illinois. It is the only comprehensive statewide advocacy organization providing self-advocacy assistance, legal services, disability rights education, public policy advocacy and abuse investigation.
For more information, contact Alan Goldstein at 312-341-0022, ext. 7318, 800-537-2632, or TTY 800-610-2779.
