The American Bar Association is launching a first-of-its kind nationwide study, conducted by the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, to identify the biases encountered by LGBT+ and/or disabled lawyers in the legal profession and to help develop and implement strategies to ameliorate such biases. Preliminary results are expected to be released in September.
In a landmark Court victory, Ryan King won the right to direct his own life, with the support of his family, finally free after 15 years under a guardianship he never needed.
The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) has been awarded a five year, $6.23 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Administration on Community Living (ACL), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) for the Southeast Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center.
BBI Chairman and University Professor, Dr. Peter Blanck, will be a distinguished guest at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid from September 19 to September 26, 2016, to address researchers, judges, law faculty, and the public on "Empowering People with Disabilities." Dr. Blanck will give several lectures on the future of Supported Decision-Making (“SDM”), which include BBI’s extensive activities on this topic in groundbreaking legal cases, and the development of evidence-based outcome measures for changes in law, policy and practice to increase self-determination and demonstrate SDM as a less-restrictive alternative to guardianship. Dr. Blanck also will give a public lecture and on his recent book eQuality: The Struggle for Web Accessibility by Persons with Cognitive Disabilities, which explores the rights of individuals with cognitive disabilities to equal access to web content protected under law for people with disabilities.
The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University (BBI) has received a $2.5 Million grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration on Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) for a new five-year project on “Understanding and Increasing Supported Decision-Making’s Positive Impact on Community Living and Participation Outcomes.” The funding (grant #90DP0076-01-00) is the only award of its kind in the country.
The YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids has partnered with the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University and the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access at the University of Buffalo (IDeA Center), leading organizations in advancing the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities. The goal of the partnership is to work towards receiving the first Global Universal Design Certification from the Global Universal Design Commission (GUDC) for the Mary Free Bed YMCA when the facility opens in December 2015.
Peter Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University and University Professor, is to receive the 2015 Distinguished Service Award from NARRTC (formerly known as the National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers). The NARRTC award is given to individuals who have made inspiring contributions to the field of disability through research, teaching, service, and advocacy.
International disability law and policy expert Janet Lord will join the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University in August. Based in BBI’s Washington, D.C. office, Lord will manage a portfolio of international disability rights projects. She comes to BBI from BlueLaw International, where she was senior partner and director of human rights and inclusive development for eight years.
Nienke Dosa, MD, MPH, has been named as the inaugural Upstate Foundation Professor of Child Health Policy at Upstate Medical University/Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. She also has been named a senior fellow at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.
Barb and Greg Tresness have announced a commitment of $100,000 to the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University. The generous donation will fund the creation of Communication Hope through Assistive Technology (CHAT), a program to assist youth with disabilities that affect their verbal communication to open their voices to the world.
Project ENABLE (Expanding Nondiscriminatory Access by Librarians Everywhere) has launched a training website, made possible by a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services. Librarians and other educators can freely access the self-paced learning modules to improve the library and information services to students with disabilities in their schools and districts.
The guide includes practical information to help veterans with disabilities understand their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA assures that all people have the same opportunities and rights.
A study conducted by researchers at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University and Rutgers University finds people with disabilities remain largely sidelined in American politics. The study authors note that the size of the disability population means it is an important voting bloc and potential swing group, especially considering the research did not find many significant differences in party affiliation or views between people with and without disabilities.
The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University has announced the addition of Janice Schacter Lintz and Dr. Michael L. Tumen to its Board of Advisors. Schacter Lintz and Tumen each have a personal connection to BBI’s mission of advancing the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities.
The new Burton Blatt Institute website launched in conjunction with the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, celebrated July 26. The website exemplifies BBI’s impact, with an emphasis on people who have benefited from BBI’s research, program development, and policy guidance.
Another key component of the new site is the Innovation Areas section. This section allows visitors to easily identify BBI’s focus areas of work—Community Participation and Economic Participation—and access related resources.
Southeast ADA Center and Leadership Network Offer Online ADA Anniversary Toolkit to Celebrate 22nd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. ADA Anniversary Toolkit Provides Information and the Latest News on the ADA to the Public and the Media for July 26, 2012 Anniversary.
The goal of the conference, held May 8 in Washington, D.C., is to eliminate bias against people with disabilities and to advance the full and equal participation of lawyers with disabilities in the legal profession. Blanck and Feldblum will speak at the conference’s opening session, “ADAAA One Year After the Regulations: Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities.”
The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University and campus partners are engaging in an unprecedented new collaboration with the World Bank to establish the Global Forum on Law, Justice, and Development (GFLJD). The global forum, of which BBI is a founding partner, will provide developing countries with legal solutions to development issues.
Two webinars are designed to provide employers across the country with resources on incorporating people with disabilities into the workplace and improving employment outcomes for all workers.
The paper, commissioned by the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, discusses a right under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to web access for people with cognitive disabilities.
Peter Blanck, University Professor and chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, will provide expert testimony March 9, in New York City, before the National Council on Disability (NCD). Blanck will discuss emerging issues in regards to disability law, policy, and research such as equal access to technology and opportunities for competitive integrated employment.
The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University and Eastern Washington University are currently drafting proposals to secure funding to help approximately 45 people with disabilities per year start businesses using the “Inclusive Entrepreneurship” approach in Ghana. The goal is to enroll and train over 125 students per year to serve as consultants to the entrepreneurs.
The Burton Blatt Institute is recognized in the bills language as a leader in creating partnerships and developing programs, such as Start-Up NY, that expand entrepreneurship opportunities for people with diverse disabilities.
Peter Blanck, a disability advocate and chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute, reacts to Governor Andrew Cuomo's State of the State remarks about supporting people with disabilities.
Developed by the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, the Employer Demand briefs and toolkit are designed to provide employers with resources on incorporating people with disabilities into the workplace and improving employment outcomes for all workers.
The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, as a partner in a $2.35 million U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant recently awarded to the University of Rochester’s Institute for Innovative Transition, will provide substantial legal and policy analysis to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
The Disability Policy Leadership Program at BBI’s Washington, D.C. office is an eight-week, competitive internship that gives top law students from across the country an up-close look at disability advocacy in the nation’s capital. Since its inception in 2006, participants in the program have gained worthwhile experience in research support, negotiation skills, writing on regulatory issues, and much more.
The newly-created “Olinsky Law Group BBI Fellow” is designed to advance BBI’s mission to train the next generation of disability leaders in law and related fields.
Conference participants will discuss the case for legal and policy measures to protect the privacy of genetic information, with the goal of preventing genetic discrimination in employment and insurance contexts. As there is currently no European level regulation of this nature, speakers will examine the ethical considerations arising as a result of rapid advancements in genetic science and the potential implications for the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Conference speakers and participants will discuss the challenges facing people with disabilities given the current economic climate, particularly with regard to employment and state and federal budget cuts. Major themes of discussion will also include community living, diversity, and inclusive education.
As Brazil considers the adoption of Universal Design standards for the upcoming World Cup and Olympics, Burton Blatt Institute Chairman Peter Blanck will discuss the standards. Blanck helped to create UD standards, modeled on the green standards for the built environment, designating a level of accreditation for a project based on its usability, safety, health, and inclusiveness. The UD approach advocates that all built environments and products be useable by all people.
The U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research has awarded the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University a $6.2 million, five-year grant to continue its leadership of the Atlanta-based Southeast ADA Center. Established in 1991 and operated by BBI since 2006, the Southeast ADA Center serves an eight-state region.
In support of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, Robert ’66 and Carol ’70 Tannenhauser have announced a commitment of $100,000 to BBI, one of the institute’s most generous private donations to date. The Tannenhauser’s contribution will advance BBI’s programs in outreach and entrepreneurship activities for people with disabilities.
Applying lessons from emergency planning and response after Hurricane Katrina, in which the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University was involved, BBI is providing resources for the protection and safety of people with disabilities who live in the path of Hurricane Irene.
The ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990, increasing opportunities experienced by people with disabilities. n the weeks leading up to the July 26th Anniversary, groups of people with disabilities, Centers for Independent Living, disability organizations, and State and local governments will be celebrating the full and active participation in community life made possible by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The ADA was signed into law on July 26, 1990, increasing opportunities experienced by people with disabilities. n the weeks leading up to the July 26th Anniversary, groups of people with disabilities, Centers for Independent Living, disability organizations, and State and local governments will be celebrating the full and active participation in community life made possible by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Project ENABLE was created in response to the findings of a study conducted from 2006-2009 by a team of researchers at Syracuse University's Center for Digital Literacy. The study investigated the impact of a variety of library and information services on student learning and motivation in schools in New York State.
Consistently across all three phases of the research, school librarians rated their services to students with disabilities lowest on all surveys and no librarian reported providing separate instruction to students with individualized education programs.
A conference in Albany, New York on June 29 will address, among other topics, the impact of the Affordable Care Act on primary, acute, and preventative health care for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Part of the conference at Syracuse University will focus on the economic and personal impact of the March 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, including a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups such as the disabled, the elderly, and children in times of disaster.
A grant from the VA will allow the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, in partnership with veteran-owned business Corporate Gray, to conduct substantial research to improve the hiring and retention of veterans by businesses nationwide.
Syracuse University Professor Peter Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, has been appointed by the government of Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Services to co-chair a disability rights expert panel on community living for persons with intellectual disabilities.
“Studio Recording/The Inclusive Recording Studio: Summer @SUbCat” is a new undergraduate and graduate course being offered to SU students studying music education, music industry and other related disciplines. The course will culminate in a two-week experience in August in which the SU students will teach and mentor high school music technology students with disabilities at the new SubCat Studios, an accessible, state-of-the-art facility.
The weekend events in Atlanta include a talent showcase featuring youth and job seekers with disabilities as well as a VIP screening of the documentary. Proceeds will support career coaching, job shadowing, and summer internships for people with disabilities.
Peter Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, and Claudia Center, a leading disability rights lawyer at The Legal Aid Society–Employment Law Center, have filed an amicus brief requesting a rehearing of Lopez v. Pacific Maritime Association, a case heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Leaders from the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University met with top White House officials to discuss options for replication of BBI’s Start-Up NY/Inclusive Entrepreneurship program and greater involvement of individuals with disabilities in the new Startup America initiative.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) extensively cited the research of Syracuse University Professor Peter Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, in its final rules and regulations for the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Blanck’s work influenced the EEOC’s adoption of a number of its rules.
Peter Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University and University Professor, and Matthew Dietz, a civil rights attorney and BBI Advisory Board member, will argue before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Blanck and Dietz will argue the jury properly found that Kaw was fired because the School District believed she had a disabling condition and terminated Kaw based on this belief. “This case is the perfect illustration of the myths and stereotypes that the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted to prevent,” says Dietz.
People with psychiatric disabilities face disproportionately high rates of unemployment. To address this issue and develop a pathway to sustainable employment, Real JOBS NY provides a unique support system for its participants, focusing on individually tailored plans to meet the specific needs of each client. Among those enrolled in Real JOBS NY during the 2009-2010 period, 64 percent were employed at least three months after being placed in a job. The national average for similar programs is only nine percent.
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