NIU College of Law Health Advocacy Blog

I have been working on several intake forms, which has been a learning experience in so many ways. With each new form, I learn more about what we need to know in order to help our clients. I have greatly benefited from not only making the forms but from also being able to see how we will be using the forms. When I was starting each form, I did not know what the purpose of the form was going to be in the end. Each form had a topic but the purpose was something elusive. I began making each form without knowledge of whether I would be doing the task correctly or not. Instead, with each new form I hoped that I did what was asked of me to the best of my ability and understanding. During my review and creation of the forms I was always trying to keep in mind what we were going to use the form for and what was a necessary part of each form. During each form I would always worry if I was making it correctly, and sometimes I would be nervous that I did not understand the reason I was making thi...

About a week ago, our team toured the Hesed House facilities a second time and learned more about the transitional living portion of the shelter. Brightly painted doors leading to dormitory style rooms line both sides of a long hallway, and furniture sits in the hallway waiting for a thorough cleaning. Our guide explained that this was a very good sign, because it meant that someone had moved out and transitioned to independence. The communal kitchen is large and clean. As we passed through, a young mother was feeding her sons breakfast; they were dressed in superhero pajamas and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their cereal. Our guide then showed us the communal living space, which included a space for watching television, two computers, and several dining tables. Residents must check out the remotes in order to watch television. There is also a children’s playroom that is used for structured children’s programs and can be reserved by parents for private family time. I went into this ...

One of the tasks that we undertook in our foundational work for the clinic was creating a survey that will be handed out to patients of Aunt Martha’s before we begin seeing clients.  It is meant to provide us with a sense of which legal issues might be common or most urgent among the patients, so that we can determine which legal matters will likely require our attention.  Given our resources, we will not be able to address every legal issue facing prospective clients and we will have to pick our battles.  This is difficult because as clinic students we want to take on every challenge and represent every client.  This survey will help us focus our skills in the areas that are affecting the most people. Having completed nearly three years of law school, I have almost lost my ability to communicate with people in easily understandable language.  When such communication involves connecting with persons who may have little formal education and who face language barriers, health concerns, f...