BBI Research Associate Jason Harris to Attend SOTA Conferences

October 11, 2018

Jason Harris

On October 10-11, 2018 Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) research associate Jason Harris will attend the State of the Art Conference on Postsecondary Education and Intellectuals with Disabilities hosted by the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Education at Syracuse University. This conference provides opportunities for colleges, universities, researchers, program staff, parents, and self-advocates to learn more about the current state of research and practice in the field as well as networking opportunities.

The Student Leadership Conference (SLC) will run concurrently with the SOTA conference. Here, current and future college students are invited to connect with peers from across the country and learn tools to empower and advocate for the transition of students with intellectual disabilities into higher education.

The two-day conference is composed of a variety of speaking sessions across Syracuse University campus. A few of the sessions Mr. Harris intends to attend are: “The Power of Peers: Effectively Utilizing Peer Mentors to Increase Academic and Social Engagement on Campus”, “Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Faculty and Students Define Inclusion on Campus”, and “Teaching College Students with Intellectual Disabilities about Safe Relationships and Sexuality.” Mr. Harris also plans to attend sessions associated with Supported Decision-Making (SDM) and Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE).

This conference gives insights to the research and best practices being done and the possibilities for the future. The field of research and application on this subject has grown profoundly in the past decade and will continue to do so. Mr. Harris stresses the importance of inclusion without biased discrimination based on disability and for everyone, including those with intellectual disabilities, to have the opportunity to attend higher education and to join the workforce.

About Burton Blatt Institute (BBI)

BBI reaches around the globe in its efforts to advance the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities, with offices in Syracuse, NY, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, GA. BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, a pioneering disability rights scholar, to better the lives of people with disabilities. For more information about BBI, visit: https://bbi.syr.edu.