Michael Stein

Mr. Stein, a deaf attorney, is committed to ensuring that all individuals with a disability are able to participate fully and equally in all facets of society. He has litigated Americans with Disabilities Act cases around the country on behalf of individuals with a disability, including individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Notable cases include:

Sabino v. Ohio State University: Mr. Stein represented a deaf sports fan who could not understand the aural information projected over the public address system at Ohio State University’s home football and basketball games. The parties entered into a consent decree calling for Ohio State University to provide captioning at sports events.

Howard v. Alabama Board of Pharmacy: Mr. Stein represented a deaf pharmacist who brought suit against the Alabama Board of Pharmacy for refusing to permit her to use telecommunications relay services to receive prescriptions over the telephone. As part of the settlement, the state board of pharmacy agreed to permit the use of telecommunications relay services.

Mosier v. Commonwealth of Kentucky: Mr. Stein represented a deaf attorney who brought suit against the Kentucky state courts for refusing to provide sign language interpreters for her court appearances. As a condition of settlement, the state courts agreed to adopt a policy to provide sign language interpreters for deaf attorneys who appear in its courts. Mosier v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, 640 F. Supp. 2d 875 (E.D. Ky. 2009).

Germano v. International Profit Association: Mr. Stein argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and obtained a favorable ruling holding that statements made through telecommunications relay services do not constitute hearsay. Germano v. Int’l Profit Ass’n, 544 F.3d 798 (7th Cir. 2008).
Mr. Stein has also litigated numerous cases against hospitals and other health care providers for failing to ensure effective communication with deaf patients and their companions.

Prior to joining Stein & Vargas, LLP, Mr. Stein was a Skadden Fellow with the National Association of the Deaf. He also clerked for the Honorable William G. Young in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Mr. Stein obtained an A.B. degree from Princeton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was Notes Editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Mr. Stein is a member of the bars in Massachusetts, New York and the District of Columbia. He is also admitted to the Seventh Circuit. Mr. Stein associates with local counsel around the country in bringing cases of special importance to individuals with disabilities.

Mr. Stein has also presented on disability rights in the United States, Chile, Israel, Mexico, and Uruguay. Mr. Stein is the Executive Director of Deaf We Can, a 501(c)(3) organization which works with deaf leaders in countries around the world to establish law centers run by and for local deaf communities to advocate for full and equal access as individuals with human rights guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Mr. Stein also published an article about why entities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act nonetheless choose to discriminate on the basis of disability. Michael Steven Stein & Emily Teplin, Rational Discrimination and Shared Compliance, 45 Val. U. L. Rev. 1095 (2011).