News

New ADALive! Episode 147: Top Technical Assistance Questions with the Southeast ADA Center

In this episode, we discuss some of the most common questions the Southeast ADA Center received this year on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the legal rights of people with disabilities. We have received over 1,600 questions this year (2025). As a team, we focus on each request for information and send specific resources to help with those questions. Our guest for this episode is Jenny Sykes, Lead Technical Information Specialist for the Southeast ADA Center.
Continue Reading

2025 Book Edited by Dr. Fitore Hyseni, BBI Director of Research, and DEP colleagues, Explores Disability and the Future of Work

Emerald Publishing Limited has announced the release of Disability and the Future of Work, a groundbreaking edited volume that examines how disability intersects with the rapidly changing world of work. Edited by DEP investigators—Fitore Hyseni, Lisa Schur, Douglas Kruse, and Peter Blanck—the book brings together leading scholars and practitioners to explore how technological, economic, and policy transformations are reshaping employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Continue Reading

Jonathan Martinis, senior director of law and policy at BBI, article Supported Decision-Making – Keeping the Promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act

The estimated number of people who have been ordered into guardianship and lost their legal right to make decisions has tripled since 1995. Supported decision-making is an alternative to overbroad and undue guardianships. People can get the advice they need to make their own decisions with supported decision-making. It allows people to choose advisers who will explain options and choices in a way they can understand. Continue Reading

BBI Awarded $4.6M Grant to Lead Disability Employment Center

The national center contributes to the next generation of federal and state employment policies and serves as a hub for forward-looking research, education and training.
Wendy S. Loughlin
Oct. 3, 2025

Recognizing Syracuse University as a national leader in disability rights and policy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) with a $4.6 million grant to support the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Employment Policy. The funding is administered by HHS’ National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, the U.S. government’s primary federal research organization for disability.
Continue Reading

New ADALive! Episode 146: In Celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month: Transforming Disability Employment Services in Rhode Island

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). In this episode we will talk about an Olmstead settlement agreement in Rhode Island that has had a profound impact on disability rights and community inclusion. This settlement has guided Rhode Island’s journey to transform its employment system for people with disabilities. We will talk about how a landmark Consent Decree and the work that followed is moving Rhode Island away from sheltered workshops and toward meaningful, competitive employment in the community.
Continue Reading

ADALive! Episode 145: Boys and Girls Clubs of America Empower Youth With and Without Disabilities

Since 1860, The Boys and Girls Clubs of America have unlocked the unlimited potential of youth in a safe, inclusive, and engaging setting. Each year these Clubs serve over four million youth from early childhood to age 24. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America programs provide important youth development at critical times outside of the classroom to promote school success, healthy choices, and leadership. Continue Reading

New Report Prepared for Syracuse University’s Lender Center for Social Justice – Disability as a Critical Element in Exploring the Racial Wealth Gap

This report examines the racial wealth gap for people with disabilities in the United States. While the racial wealth gap is well-documented, with the median White household having a net worth 7-10 times higher than the median Black household, the wealth gap experienced by people with disabilities remains less explored. Recent data show that households without disabilities possess, on average, 6 times the net worth of households led by a working-age person with a disability. Wealth, defined as total household assets minus total liabilities, is a comprehensive measure of economic well-being and social stratification, and it has wide implications, including for personal security and long-term health and well-being. For people with disabilities, wealth has an added dimension, as additional costs associated with living with a disability reduce the amount individuals can save over their lifetime.
Continue Reading

New Research Brief – Lingering Inequalities in the Information Age: An Examination of Disparities in Internet Access Among People with Disabilities

When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990, the internet was in its infancy. We could not imagine how technology would change the way we interact with government services, our employer, our doctor, or the way we shop. However, the “information age” comes with structural barriers for people with disabilities. These barriers include inaccessible web sites, a lack of reliable internet connectivity, and high prices for internet service. Continue Reading

New ADALive! Episode 144: The California Project on Psychiatric Advanced Directives

Individuals in mental health crisis often cannot make informed choices for themselves. Far too often, law enforcement or first responders must quickly assess a situation and make judgements about keeping the public and the individual in crisis safe and respond quickly to address their needs for mental health treatment. One tool currently being evaluated in California is Psychiatric Advanced Directives, also known as “pads” or P-A-D-S. PADs are used to protect the legal rights of people with mental health conditions. Continue Reading