Kaitlin Sommer, a law student at Syracuse University, is preparing for her final year with an eye on a future career in national security law. Sommer, who uses a wheelchair and is the child of Deaf adults, has been active both academically and within student organizations during her time at Syracuse.
She began her studies at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as part of a 3+3 program that allows students to transfer to Syracuse’s College of Law after three years and begin their legal education while completing their undergraduate degree. At Syracuse, she has taken advantage of various opportunities, including attending the Ms. JD Fall 2024 Leadership Academy Intensive at Harvard Law School and presenting at RIT’s Together RIT: A Day of Dialogue focused on Deaf culture, disability, and neurodiversity.
In January, Sommer became co-president of the Disability Law Society at Syracuse Law alongside Emely Recinos. The organization supports students with disabilities and their allies while working to raise awareness across the university.
“This is a new venture that I’m really excited about. We are a small group of students at Syracuse Law, and it’s important that we have our voices heard,” says Sommer. “Emely, who also has a disability, and I have a new take, which revolves around being more vocal about disabled students’ experiences and how the University can best support us. I want the Disability Law Society to see where we can set permanent roots and have a noticeable space to make our voices heard. And, of course, having this kind of community at the Law School has helped me to know that I’m not alone.”
Sommer credits Professor Katherine Macfarlane for encouraging her to explore areas beyond disability law. “Professor Macfarlane said that just because I’m a person with a disability doesn’t mean I have to go into disability law,” says Sommer. “She made me see that being a disabled person in any legal space is also representative, and my personal experience will make me a better professional no matter which field of law I choose. She has been such a good mentor and support system for me and has encouraged me to advocate for what I want and need.”
Sommer is pursuing coursework through Syracuse Law’s National Security Program as she works toward earning her Certificate of Advanced Study in National Security and Counterterrorism. Her goal is to live and work in Washington, D.C., where she previously interned for Congressman Joe Morelle as an undergraduate.
She recently completed an internship with the POPVOX Foundation in Washington—a nonpartisan group advocating for congressional improvements—and this summer is interning with The Spinal Cord Injury Law Firm, PLLC in D.C.
“After all, I never want people to make assumptions about me just because I use a wheelchair,” Sommer says. “I hope to be a positive example of a compassionate and knowledgeable disabled lawyer who can better connect with my work through my life experiences, and Syracuse Law is helping me get there.”
Sommer plans to continue seeking out opportunities related to both national security law and disability advocacy as she approaches graduation.
