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.

Dr. Blanck will meet with the Magistrate of the Spanish Supreme Court, regarding the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He also will meet with the Spanish Government Ministry Committee in charge of drafting the law proposal to reform guardianship in Spain. In addition, he will meet with the Spanish Foundation Manantial, which is a national non-profit organization that provides care for people with serious mental disorders and the ONCE Foundation, which is an organization that provides a nation-wide system of social benefits for persons who are blind and visually impaired.

The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University reaches around the globe in its efforts to advance the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities. BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, former dean of SU’s School of Education and a pioneering disability rights scholar, to better the lives of people with disabilities. For more information, visit the Burton Blatt Institute Website. [bbi.syr.edu]

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