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
News
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
BBI welcomes Professor Robin Paul Malloy as a BBI Senior Fellow
BBI is proud to announce the newest member of our Senior Fellows team – Professor Robin Paul Malloy, E.I. White Chair and Distinguished Professor of Law; Kauffman Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Director, Center on Property, Citizenship and Social Entrepreneurism; and Professor of Economics, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (by courtesy appointment). Continue Reading
Welcome Heather DiBlasi – Assistant Project Director for the California PADs Fiscal Administration
We welcome Heather DiBlasi, who officially joined our team at BBI on July 1. As Assistant Project Director for the California PADs Fiscal Administration, Heather will handle contract management, financial analysis and reporting, and coordinate communications and deliverables between the various SU departments involved (BBI, OSP, OSA), the county sponsors, the external project director, and subcontractors. I am thrilled to have Heather in this pivotal role to help us steer through the administration of this complex, multi-sponsor project. Continue Reading
New ADALive! Episode 142: The ADA and Employment Rights for Employees with Alcohol or Substance Use Disorders
According to 2023 data from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), in the U.S., 13.6 million workers or nine percent of all employed adults have current alcohol or illicit drug use disorders. In addition, 13.4 million workers, an almost equal number, report that they are in recovery from a substance use disorder. Our guest for this episode, Oce Harrison, currently oversees ADA Special Projects at the New England ADA Center, where she served as Project Director from 2001 to 2023. One of her passions is training and educating others about the rights of people with substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder. Among her many accomplishments, Oce created an ADA addiction recovery toolkit with the National Hispanic and Latino Addiction Technology Transfer Center. She also led the ADA National Network in creating the ADA, Addiction and Recovery Fact Sheet Series. Continue Reading
DIEP and EDPC RRTCs State-of-the-Science Conference Bridging Research and Practice: Advancing Disability Employment
Come explore the great research we have done for the past 5 years and engage with like minded audience members in meaningful discussion with an emphasis on looking towards the future of disability research and policy to advance employment for working age adults with disabilities. Continue Reading