{"id":6206,"date":"2020-09-01T22:24:57","date_gmt":"2020-09-02T03:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6206"},"modified":"2020-09-14T09:29:13","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T14:29:13","slug":"introducing-laura-wolke-from-an-unsatisfied-job-to-law-student-to-lawyer-to-clerk-of-the-us-supreme-court-and-an-old-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6206","title":{"rendered":"Introducing Laura Wolke: From an Unsatisfied Job to Law Student to Lawyer to Clerk of the US Supreme Court\u2026 and, an \u201cOld Friend\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2158\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6206-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/LauraWolke.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/LauraWolke.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/LauraWolke.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=6227\">Full Transcript<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Summary:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Blind Abilities presents this special interview with Laura Wolke.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laura initially began a career as a social worker in Philadelphia, with clients who were primarily Medicare recipients, planning to get her PhD and&nbsp;&nbsp;go into counseling or become a psychologist. However she&nbsp;&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;&nbsp;grew weary of this work,&nbsp;&nbsp;saying that while she has great respect for the people who do the job, she didn\u2019t think she has the means to detach herself from the patients and their problems, something that is necessary with that kind of job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When attending a seminar at Notre Dane University on the subject of Bioethics, Laura learned about the myriad of intriguing applications for a law degree, and she immediately studied for and took her LSAT exams to pursue that path. Listen as Laura describes the tedious and seemingly unnecessary steps she had to take to take this mandatory exam, as much of it was not accessible to her as a blind student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Graduating from Notre Dame with her law degree, Laura describes the long emotional roller coaster she endured when she applied for a spot as a clerk at the supreme court, from the initial application which promised to be a long shot, through the waiting game, all the way to the point where she received the good news that she would clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas. She shares a bit about his background, living in poverty, fighting discrimination, chairing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC),&nbsp;&nbsp;and rising to the top court in the land..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Join Jeff Thompson, who has a special friendship with Laura wolke from his days when he instructed her in woodworking at blind, Inc., an Adjustment to Blindness Training school in Minneapolis, and listen to this articulate, and highly accomplished person as she inspires and motivates us to continue to strive for greatness. Listen as Laura shares her views about handling rejection and continuing to persist, on the topic of finding hobbies and social organizations to balance our work and personal lives,, her thoughts on maintaining realistic blindness skills and expectations despite the ever-changing landscape of the Corona virus and beyond, and her advice to parents of blind children relating to ensuring their kids enjoy the same benefits and activities as their sighted peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As usual, Jeff conducts a masterful, well-crafted interview which highlights Laura\u2019s&nbsp;&nbsp;insights and talents, both of which promise to entertain you, our&nbsp;&nbsp;Blind Abilities audience. Be sure to set aside 40 short minutes of your valuable time to check out this special chat between Jeff Thompson and his old friend, Laura Wolke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact Your State Services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:Sheila.Koenig@state.mn.us\">email<\/a>&nbsp;or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Contact:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><br>You can follow us on Twitter&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/blindabilities\">@BlindAbilities<\/a><br>On the web at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/\">www.BlindAbilities.com<\/a><br>Send us an&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:info@BlindAbilities.com\">email<\/a><br>Get the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/blind-abilities\/id1085849859?l=es&amp;mt=8\">Free Blind Abilities App&nbsp;on the App Store<\/a>and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.blindabilities.android.blind&amp;hl=en_US\">Google Play Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/607027582712671\/\">Blind Abilities Community<\/a>on Facebook, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BlindAbilities\/\">Blind Abilities Page<\/a>, and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/jobinsightsgroup\">Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/a>&nbsp;group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2160\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6206-3\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/LauraWolke.mp3?_=3\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/LauraWolke.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/LauraWolke.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p>https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/LauraWolke.mp3 Full Transcript Show Summary: Blind Abilities presents this special interview with Laura Wolke.&nbsp; Laura initially began a career as a social worker in Philadelphia, with clients who were primarily Medicare recipients, planning to get her PhD and&nbsp;&nbsp;go into counseling or become a psychologist. However she&nbsp;&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;&nbsp;grew weary of this work,&nbsp;&nbsp;saying that while she has great [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,373,514],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bapresents","category-career","category-transcribed"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-1C6","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4477,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=4477","url_meta":{"origin":6206,"position":0},"title":"A Chat with Laura Hernandez: A Comedian, A Poet and An Advocate for Social Justice","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"February 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Show Summary: blind Abilities presents an in depth chat with Laura Hernandez, a blind comedian who has performed in a variety of comedy clubs and other venues. As a spoken word artist, Laura, AKA \"Ojos Del Alma\u201d, \u00a0writes her own poetry, is an indigenous rights activist , and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6577,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6577","url_meta":{"origin":6206,"position":1},"title":"How a Journey Through Vision Loss Prepared Laura Allen to Become Head of Strategy for Accessibility and Disability Inclusion at Google","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Show Summary: Laura Allen joins Raqi and Jeff in the Blind Abilities Studio to talk about new developments in Google\u2019s accessibility and disability inclusion. Laura Allen is Head of strategy for Accessibility and Disability Inclusion,\u00a0bringing together the Google network of teams to bring awareness to accessibility and disability\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6325,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6325","url_meta":{"origin":6206,"position":2},"title":"Bridging the Distance: NVDACon 2020 December 5 and 6. Learn about the Free NVDA Screenreader and the Upcoming NVDA Conference.","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Simon Bonenfant sat down with Laura Cornwell and\u00a0Robert H\u00e4nggi \u00a0from the NVDACon Planning Committee to talk about the upcoming December 5 and 6 on-line NVDA Conference. They explained how you can contribute your ideas and suggestions up until the November 14 deadline. Laura and Robert fills us in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9339,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9339","url_meta":{"origin":6206,"position":3},"title":"Scholarships Don\u2019t Find You\u2014You Find Them: A Student\u2019s Real-World Guide","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"January 26, 2026","format":"audio","excerpt":"Podcast Summary: Applying for scholarships can feel overwhelming, but as Maddy Majors shares in this Blind Abilities episode, the effort is absolutely worth it. Now a college student at the University of Minnesota, Maddy walks listeners through what scholarships really are, how she searched for them, and what the application\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9110,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9110","url_meta":{"origin":6206,"position":4},"title":"A Spark for Success: Empowering Youth to Step Into Their Future","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"August 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: In this Blind Abilities podcast, Jeff Thompson speaks with Laila Nachar, the Multiple Systems and Pathways Navigator at State Services for the Blind of Minnesota. Laila\u2019s new role is all about helping blind and visually impaired students, ages 14 to 21, prepare for their futures by focusing on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2347,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=2347","url_meta":{"origin":6206,"position":5},"title":"Blind and Teaching On-Line!: Meet University Of Phoenix Professor &#8211; Niccolina Mariconi","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"January 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Join Nick as he talks with Nicci Mariconi, a professor at the University of Phoenix. Nicci was visually impaired when she took her college classes on campus in Illinois and applied to the University of Phoenix and landed her dream job. Nicci lost the rest of her remaining sight and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6206"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6229,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6206\/revisions\/6229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}