The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) has been awarded two competitive grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Together, the awards total $4. 5 million over three years and will bring a significant infusion of new research, education and outreach activity to BBI and the University.

“This is an amazing day for BBI,” says Peter Blanck, BBI chairman and University Professor at the College of Law. “These awards are a testament to my BBI colleagues, the support of the Office of Sponsored Research and the entire Syracuse University community.”

Training the Next Generation of Researchers

A $750,000 grant will fund the Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training Program on the Future of Employment for People with Disabilities. Fitore Hyseni, director of research for BBI and a research assistant professor in the College of Law, is principal investigator. Blanck is co-PI.

The program will recruit and train four postdoctoral fellows to study disability employment policy, practice and law, including the role of artificial intelligence in these areas. Fellows will join BBI’s Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, work with faculty mentors and complete a community practicum with disability-led organizations.

“Employment among people with disabilities has reached historic highs, but a significant employment gap remains, and we need to study both,” Hyseni says. “This national program will train leading young career researchers to do that work.”

Syracuse mentors include John Cawley, Emily Wiemers and Maria Zhu of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and Chilukuri Mohan of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. They are joined by scholars from Harvard and Rutgers Universities and the National Organization on Disability.

The application period for the 2026-27 fellowships opens Sunday, Nov. 1. More information is available on the BBI website.

Renewing ADA Support Across the Southeast

A $3.7 million competitive renewal will continue BBI’s leadership of the Southeast Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center, with Blanck as PI. One of 10 regional centers in the ADA National Network, the center provides information, training and guidance across eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. It reaches more than 1 million stakeholders annually.

“The Southeast ADA Center makes a positive difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families by fostering understanding of the ADA,” says Barry Whaley, program director and co-PI, who is BBI’s director of outreach.

Over the next three years, the center will build partnerships among the disability community, government, business and community organizations, and produce new knowledge about employment, health care and economic self-sufficiency.

About the Burton Blatt Institute

BBI advances the civic, economic and social participation of people with disabilities. Named for Burton Blatt, a pioneering disability rights scholar and former dean of the School of Education, BBI combines education, research, policy and practice to improve the lives of people with disabilities. For more information, visit bbi.syr.edu.