Amber Greaves

Disability Rights Washington
Seattle, WA

Amber grew up in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Sociology. As a first year law student, Amber has served as the fundraising chair for Student Hurricane Network and was recently elected as the Black Law Student Association's Community Services Director. Amber is interested in the field of health and disability law and will be interning at Disability Rights Washington this summer.

July 2009

My summer internship at Disability Rights Washington (DRW) continues to present new and interesting challenges that have pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me build my client interviewing skills. When I was asked by one of my supervising attorneys if I would be interested in traveling to Spokane, Washington and conducting some in person interviews with potential plaintiffs I was thrilled! I was so excited to get into the field and have the opportunity to interact with our clients face-to-face!

On the morning of our trip I had a ton of questions for the investigative attorney I was traveling with. After re-reading the files of the clients with whom we were going to be meeting on the brief flight to the eastern part of the state, I still felt a tinge of nervousness as we approached the first house. I did not know what to expect. Would the clients feel comfortable with me tagging along? I decided I would just follow the investigative attorney's lead and keep my questions to a minimum so I would not end up putting my foot in my mouth.

As I observed the attorney interviewing the client I noticed that the dialogue between the two was more like a conversation than simply a question and answer session. The attorney had a way of putting the client at ease and making her feel comfortable right from the beginning. The attorney did an excellent job of listening to the client's expressed interests and reiterating those interests to ensure that they were both on the same page. When I felt like it was appropriate I asked a couple questions and tried to engage the client. My questions went over fairly well and I felt like I was contributing to the open dialogue. Towards the end of the interview the attorney asked the client to sign some releases so DRW could further investigate her issues. Once again I was impressed by the attorney's ability to break down the terms and conditions of the release into manageable chunks of information. After the attorney answered all of the client's questions, the client agreed to the terms and conditions and signed the release. The attorney set a time to get in contact with the client and informed her of the best ways to get a hold of the attorney if she needed something in the meantime.

I left Spokane feeling like it was a successful trip for all of the parties involved. The client got to share her story and be reassured that DRW is going to look into the matter further, the attorney got to sit down with the client face-to-face, explain the investigation process and get the released signed, and I got to experience my first in-person client interview and learn what techniques were effective and how to incorporate those techniques into my own interviewing style.

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June 2009

When I got the phone call from Disability Rights Washington (DRW) offering me a summer internship I was ecstatic! I had been offered an internship at DRW, my number one choice! That excitement has carried over into my internship. After the initial office tour and training days, I finally got to do the work that drew me to the internship in the first place - direct client interaction, assisting individuals with disabilities.

DRW runs an invaluable information and referral service that promotes the development of self-advocacy strategies by providing individuals with the disabilities the tools they need to make educated decisions for themselves. The range of issues individuals with disabilities face on a daily basis was overwhelming to me at first. I was bombarded with calls, emails, and letters from individuals seeking assistance in navigating their way through the complex maze of health care, education, employment and other things that I have often taken for granted. I was unsure of how to respond to some of the issues and wondered if I would be able to actually help anyone. After getting over the nervousness of the first couple calls and making a few mistakes, I am starting to get comfortable with the work I am doing. I understand that I am not in the position to fix every client's situation, but I can listen to their problems, spot the relevant legal issues and provide information and referrals that are helpful in shaping and implementing various self-advocacy strategies.