Barry Whaley and Sally Miracle discuss the rights of children with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Sally, a special education consultant, explains these laws, emphasizing that the ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Continue Reading
News
BBI Welcomes Elaina Peterkin & Michelle D. Schilling, Research Associates for the Psychiatric Advanced Directives (PADs) Innovation Project in California
BBI welcomes two new team members, Elaina Peterkin & Michelle Schilling- Research Associates, that will work with the team evaluating the Psychiatric Advanced Directives (PADs) Innovation Project in California, which is designed to support people during a mental health crisis as well as during the recovery process. Continue Reading
New ADALive! Episode 135: The Open Road: Your Right to Accessible Travel
Our guest for this episode is Eric Lipp, founder and executive director of Open Doors Organization. The mission of the non-profit Open Doors Organization is to make goods and services accessible to people with disabilities in travel, tourism and transportation. Their goal is to teach businesses how to succeed in the disability market, while simultaneously empowering the disability community. Continue Reading
New ADALive! Episode 134: ‘I Am in Here’ – Elizabeth Bonker’s Mission to Expand the Power of Neurodiversity
As many as 40% of people with autism are non-speaking — which is more than 30 million worldwide. Yet only a small fraction of non-speakers have been taught how to type to communicate. We talk with Elizabeth Bonker about her mission to enable non-speaking persons with disabilities to find their voices and how the ADA helped her share her own remarkable story. Continue Reading
New Episode 133: ADA Rule on Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Government
State and local governments provide many services, programs, and activities through websites and mobile applications (apps). When these are not accessible, they create barriers for people with disabilities to access government services and programs, like tax information, building permits, or garbage collection payments. Inaccessibility can also keep people with disabilities from joining or fully participating in civic or other community events like town meetings or programs at their child’s school. Continue Reading
BBI welcomes Ingrid Stefano, Director of Research Administration
The Burton Blatt Institute welcomes our new Director of Research Administration, Ingrid Stefano. Originally from Norway, Ingrid has worked within financial grant management at a Norwegian university prior to joining BBI. Her background spans grant management, financial planning and analysis, financial reporting as well as finance transformation, service delivery design, and process improvement. As a former Manager at a Big 4 management consulting firm, she has worked with a broad range of organizations and industries, but is particularly interested in mission-driven organizations. She holds both an MA and MBA from universities in the U.S. and completed her undergraduate studies in Norway and Italy. As Director of Research Administration at BBI and in liaison with the Office of Research, she will oversee BBI’s budget, proposal processes and grant administration, including ensuring compliance with SU administrative processes.
New Episode 132: Nurse’s Guide to the ADA: Understanding Responsibilities in Caring for Patients with Disabilities
One of the most important issues for people with disabilities is being able to get the health care they need in their communities.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
People with disabilities often experience a wide and varying range of health conditions leading to poorer health and shorter lifespan. In addition, discrimination, inequality and exclusionary structural practices, programs and policies [that] inhibit access to timely and comprehensive health care, which further results in poorer health outcomes. (Source: nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-designates-people-disabilities-population-health-disparities)
BBI welcomes Dr. Schuyler Lawson, Research Associate
The Burton Blatt Institute welcomes our new research assistant Schuyler Lawson. Schuyler brings a wealth of experience in mixed-method research, including experiments and quasi-experiments. His impressive background includes his role as an Epidemiology Fellow at the Erie County Department of Health, Office of Health Equity. He holds a PhD from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Dr. Lawson specializes in health disparities, tobacco-related health disparities, tobacco control policy, and tobacco cessation. He is experienced in survey design, qualitative and quantitative methodology, data visualization, and managing small to moderate-sized research teams. Continue Reading
New Episode 131: Making State Government Programs and Services Accessible
Each July we celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The United States has come a long way in fulfilling the promise of the ADA since President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990, and said “let the shameful wall of exclusion come tumbling down”. Continue Reading
BBI welcomes Montserrat Avila Acosta, Senior Research Associate
The Burton Blatt Institute welcomes our new senior research assistant Montserrat Avila Acosta. Montserrat is a PhD candidate in Public Administration and Policy at SUNY Albany. Prior to her doctoral studies, Montserrat earned an M.A. in Economics from Penn State. Her research experience spans multiple projects in topics like health, education, and poverty. Prior to joining BBI, Montserrat worked in research projects at the Coalition for Applied Modeling for Prevention (CAMP) and The World Bank. She is interested in the use of advanced quantitative methods to address public policy issues. Montserrat Avila-Acosta currently serves as a Senior Research Associate at BBI.