Closing Date: February 8, 2021

1. Background: Outline of the Research Project and the Place of Films within it

The Inclusive Public Space (IPS) Project is concerned with problems of unequal access to city streets, particularly for older adults, people with disabilities, and parents or caregivers. It aims to deepen understanding of what aspects of streets people find difficult; how well different types of law are responding to the problems; and how public awareness and concern about these problems can be increased.

The IPS project is a joint project of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University and the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. The IPS project is a five year project funded by the European Research Council Advanced Grant (Agreement No 787258).

IPS Project website: https://inclusivepublicspace.leeds.ac.uk Continue Reading

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021 / 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm, Peter Blanck will present live on zoom Disability Civil War Pensions and Today’s Issues. This event is sponsored by the Lifelong Learning Institute – NSU Florida

What can the past tell us about contemporary employment policy for veterans with disabilities? For the past decade, BBI Chairman, Dr. Peter Blanck (and his colleague Dr. Larry Logue) have conducted research on Union army veterans’ experience with disabilities and federal government benefits. Their books the Cambridge University Press Disability Law and Policy series investigates veterans’ treatment in the pension system. Join this webinar to discover the historical and contemporary views of the veterans with disabilities. Continue Reading

The COVID-19 Pandemic is devastating the United States. As at 16 November there are over 10.6 million confirmed infections and almost a quarter of a million deaths in the US. While public health interventions are critical to saving lives, the Burton Blatt Institute has been funded to interrogate what COVID-19 health surveillance measures means for persons with disabilities and ability diversity. Continue Reading

The Mifal Hapayis national lottery has announced the winners of the Landau Science and Arts awards for the year 2020.
The awards will be given to nine scientists and artists, totaling about NIS 1.35 million, with each of the winners receiving a grant of about NIS 150,000. The award is named after Michel Landau, who was appointed the head of Mifal Hapayis in 1951, and is used to promote research, science, the arts and culture in Israel. They have been given for 19 years.  Read Full article

Do you find some streets in Syracuse or Atlanta difficult to use because of how they are designed or managed?

The Inclusive Public Space research project at the University of Leeds, together with Burton Blatt Institute – Syracuse University, want to hear about your experiences as a pedestrian! We are investigating the problems caused by unequal access to streets in 10 cities around the world and the way law and government respond to them. We are particularly keen to hear from people with disabilities, older adults and parents or caregivers. If you fit this description, or you know others who do, please consider participating and spread the word. More information about the project is available at https://inclusivepublicspace.leeds.ac.uk/.

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The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) of 1990 was ambitious federal legislation designed to promote employment inclusion, along with increased civic and social opportunity in other areas of daily life, by reducing attitudinal and structural barriers for people with disabilities. At the heart of this drive for inclusion was the ADA’s workplace accommodation principle. Today, the accommodation principle means using remote work options, as well as flexible hours and individualized reasonable adjustments to tasks and technologies, to enable full and equal economic participation across the spectrum of disabilities. Continue Reading

Burton Blatt Institute Chairman and University Professor at Syracuse University, Peter Blanck’s new book titled Disability Law and Policy book was released in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Disability Law and Policy provides an overview of the themes and insights in disability law. It is a compelling compendium of stories about how our legal system has responded to the needs of impacted individuals.

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The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University has begun a collaboration with the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom focusing on groundbreaking research into the accessibility of public spaces and the social justice problems resulting from an exclusionary infrastructure.

The Inclusive Public Space project is a global interdisciplinary research effort that explores the social justice problems caused by city streets that limit access for some pedestrians. The project focuses specifically on pedestrians with disabilities who may have difficulties using the pedestrian paths because of the way streets are designed, managed or maintained. Poor maintenance, uneven surfaces, potholes, poor lighting and other streetscape structures also create barriers. Continue Reading