The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University sponsored students from Syracuse University College of Law to attend the Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium. The annual Symposium is a leading national disability law meeting, bringing together disability rights practitioners, educators, and scholars to advance the civil rights of people with disabilities. The annual event honors the legacy of Dr. tenBroek, who founded the National Federation of the Blind in 1940. The theme for the 2026 Symposium was “Collaboration and Creativity: Addressing Challenges and Advancing Opportunities Now and in the Future.”

The students participating in the Symposium were Kaitlin Sommer and Emely Recinos, both third-year law students and co-presidents of the Disabled Law Students Association at the Syracuse College of Law, sponsored by BBI and pictured above, Carly Bastedo, a third-year law student pictured above, and  Sydney Sheffield, a first-year law student.

BBI’s goal in supporting the law students was to further their shared commitment to advancing opportunity and access in the legal profession. Kaitlin Sommer said, “Our participation at the Symposium deepened our understanding of issues in disability law and helped us to build professional networks that support our careers in public interest law, policy, and advocacy. “I hope to attend the Symposium for years to come.”

Peter Blanck, University Professor and Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute, believes that “the Symposium enables students to engage with the broader work of BBI, which seeks to advance the civic, economic and social participation of people with disabilities through research, education, and outreach.”