PITTSBURGH, PA – Dr. Blanck is University Professor at Syracuse University, which is the highest faculty rank granted to only eight prior individual in the history of the University. He is chair of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University and will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters” on Tuesday, August 29, 2006, from 2 PM to 3 PM eastern time. Discussed on the show will be the mission of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI). BBI will build the premier organization to advance civic, economic, and social participation of persons with disabilities in a global society by creating a collaborative environment – with entrepreneurial innovation and best business practices – to foster public-private dialogue, and create the capacity to transform policy, systems, and people through inclusive education, the workforce, and communities.
Mr. Blanck holds appointments at the Syracuse University Colleges of Law, of Human Services and Health Professions, and of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Prior to his appointment at Syracuse, Blanck was Kierscht Professor of Law and director of the Law, Health Policy, and Disability Center at the University of Iowa.
Mr. Blanck has written articles and books on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related laws, received grants to study disability law and policy, represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court in ADA cases, and testified before Congress. His work has received national and international attention. He is a board member of the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.), Disability Rights Law Center (DRLC), and Disability Rights Advocates (DRA). He is a trustee of YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network.
Mr. Blanck received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester, a Juris Doctorate from Stanford University, where he was president of the Stanford Law Review, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Blanck is a former member of the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, and a Senior Fellow of the Annenberg Washington Program, a Fellow at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, and a Mary Switzer Scholar. Prior to teaching, Blanck practiced law at the Washington D.C. firm Covington & Burling, and served as law clerk to the late Honorable Carl McGowan of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
The host of Disability Matters, Joyce A. Bender, is President and CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and its “sister company” Bender Consulting Services of Canada, Inc. Bender Consulting provides competitive employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities in the areas of information technology, engineering, finance/accounting, human resources and general business. In 1985, Joyce had a life-threatening accident due to epilepsy, which caused an intracranial hemorrhage that required subsequent brain surgery. Against all odds, Joyce recovered from this accident that left her with a 60 percent hearing loss in one ear and a realization that she had epilepsy. As a result of her personal experience, she developed a passion for helping people with disabilities and founded both companies. Ms. Bender is the recipient of the 2003 New Freedom Initiative Award from the Bush Administration, as well as the 1999 President’s Award from President Clinton.
For more information on Joyce A. Bender and her companies, Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Bender Consulting Services of Canada, Inc., visit, http://www.benderconsult.com or http://www.benderofcanada.com. To learn more about Voice America, visit, http://www.voiceamerica.com. Past radio broadcasts are archived on http://www.benderconsult.com. To learn more about BBI, visit, https://bbi.syr.edu.
Contact: Lee Hassinger (412) 787-8567