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Once he finds something he likes, attorney David Rowland sticks with it. He went to University of Michigan for his undergraduate degree in political science and then attended University of Michigan Law School. He interned one summer at the Chicago-based firm of Seyfarth Shaw and went to work there after he graduated in the 1980s.
Among big law firms, Seyfarth was a bit of an anomaly because it had such a large group of attorneys specializing in labor and employment law. When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, Rowland started helping the firm’s corporate clients figure out how to implement the new law in their workplaces and employment policies. “It was a lot of advice work, a good amount of training and some litigation as well,” says Rowland, 60. “I started training clients on implementation. Under the ADA, there’s actually an affirmative obligation to do something, provide reasonable accommodation, not ‘just not do a bad thing.’ My practice built from there.”
When Rowland was in his early 40s, he became part of the disability community himself after being treated for an aggressive brain tumor. The surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation left him weak on his left side and unable to use his left hand. He had four children under the age of 15 at the time and his physician delivered a devastating prognosis: he likely had only about 18 to 36 months to live. “It changed my perspective on everything,” he says. “It put me in the obvious category of person with a disability. I’ve had to accommodate myself in so many ways.”
Then and now Rowland realized how lucky he was compared to many people who acquire a disability through illness or injury. “I had the benefit of family. I had the greatest surgeon and got great treatment. My firm supported me throughout the process and wanted me back. I had the best likelihood of success,” he says. “I was actually blessed to have gone through it. It made me a better lawyer, person, and adviser to clients.”
Since his recovery, Rowland has been committed to helping people with disabilities in his personal life as well. He has been an active supporter of the American Cancer Society since 2006. At the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, he sits on the Vocational Rehabilitation Business TEAM Board, a group of people who hire and support employees at large companies. The board’s mission is to assist patients with finding jobs and it hosts a series of onsite seminars that expose employers to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s state-of-the-art facilities.
“If you can get people down there, it’s pretty impressive,” he says. Rowland also sits on the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment for People with Physical Disabilities Advisory Committee for the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research (CROR) at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. “We provide feedback to keep the research grounded,” he says. “They’ve structured the group to bring together people with disabilities with people on the employer side. It’s been a wonderful experience. I’ve learned a lot just hanging around with them.”
CROR Operations Manager Deborah Crown says the learning has gone both ways. "We are so fortunate to have David as an advisor. He brings a wealth of expertise on employment law, and his insights and experience with the ADA have informed the job accommodations questions on our local and national employment-focused surveys. David has made significant contributions to our research."
Even though Rowland long ago surpassed his doctor’s prognosis, he doesn’t yet have any plans to slow down. “Many lawyers are dissatisfied but I still like my job every day. It varies all the time because it’s a people job,” he says. “It’s all about people and it’s an ongoing drama with each case.”