News

Peter Blanck to present Live zoom session – Disability Civil War Pensions & Today’s Issues

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021 / 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm, Peter Blanck will present live on zoom Disability Civil War Pensions and Today’s Issues. This event is sponsored by the Lifelong Learning Institute – NSU Florida

What can the past tell us about contemporary employment policy for veterans with disabilities? For the past decade, BBI Chairman, Dr. Peter Blanck (and his colleague Dr. Larry Logue) have conducted research on Union army veterans’ experience with disabilities and federal government benefits. Their books the Cambridge University Press Disability Law and Policy series investigates veterans’ treatment in the pension system. Join this webinar to discover the historical and contemporary views of the veterans with disabilities. Continue Reading

BBI Chairman, Peter Blanck, to Address National Conference on Representing Clients Living with Psychiatric, Intellectual, and/or Developmental Disabilities

ONLINE CLE @

brain powerThis four-part conference will discuss ways to make our justice system—from client counseling to litigation—accessible to individuals living with psychiatric, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities. This program is online only. Dr. Blanck’s is Presenting Thursday January 21st and Tuesday January 26th  Continue Reading

BBI’s Harpur and Blanck awarded Social Science Research Council Grants and Fellowships to understand how COVID-19 health surveillance impacts on ability and disability norms

Peter Blanck and Paul HarpurThe COVID-19 Pandemic is devastating the United States. As at 16 November there are over 10.6 million confirmed infections and almost a quarter of a million deaths in the US. While public health interventions are critical to saving lives, the Burton Blatt Institute has been funded to interrogate what COVID-19 health surveillance measures means for persons with disabilities and ability diversity. Continue Reading

BBI Chairman, Peter Blanck, to Address International Summit on Legal Professionals with Disabilities

1-2-3- December, 2020 It Can be Done ! : Three-Day International Summit on Legal Professionals with Disabilities

Organized by ILS Law College, Pune’s Equal Opportunity cum Enabling Cell, in collaboration with Oxford Human Rights Hub, Harvard Law School Project on Disability and Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds, UK.

Learn more at the Summit Website

Summit Brochure

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Disability in a COVID World: Employment, Communications, Physical Spaces & Mental Health

Date: Thursday – December 3, 2020
Time:
 12:00 – 1:30 pm [Eastern] | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm [Central ] | 10:00 am – 11:30 am [Mountain] | 9:00 am – 10:30 am [Pacific]

In celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD or IDPwD) held each year around the world on December 3, a panel of diverse presenters will discuss disability in a COVID world with a focus on employment, communications, physical spaces and mental health.

This webinar is a collaboration of the Consulate General of Canada in Atlanta, Southeast ADA Center and Burton Blatt Institute of Syracuse University. Continue Reading

BBI fellow, Arie Rimmerman, Winner for 2020 Landau awards despite coronavirus pandemic

Arie RimmermanThe Mifal Hapayis national lottery has announced the winners of the Landau Science and Arts awards for the year 2020.
The awards will be given to nine scientists and artists, totaling about NIS 1.35 million, with each of the winners receiving a grant of about NIS 150,000. The award is named after Michel Landau, who was appointed the head of Mifal Hapayis in 1951, and is used to promote research, science, the arts and culture in Israel. They have been given for 19 years.  Read Full article

The Inclusive Public Space research project at the University of Leeds, together with Burton Blatt Institute- Syracuse University, want to hear about your experiences as a pedestrian!

Do you find some streets in Syracuse or Atlanta difficult to use because of how they are designed or managed?

The Inclusive Public Space research project at the University of Leeds, together with Burton Blatt Institute – Syracuse University, want to hear about your experiences as a pedestrian! We are investigating the problems caused by unequal access to streets in 10 cities around the world and the way law and government respond to them. We are particularly keen to hear from people with disabilities, older adults and parents or caregivers. If you fit this description, or you know others who do, please consider participating and spread the word. More information about the project is available at https://inclusivepublicspace.leeds.ac.uk/.

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BBI Chairman, Peter Blanck, guest edits Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation special issue for 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Peter Blanck
Peter Blanck

The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) of 1990 was ambitious federal legislation designed to promote employment inclusion, along with increased civic and social opportunity in other areas of daily life, by reducing attitudinal and structural barriers for people with disabilities. At the heart of this drive for inclusion was the ADA’s workplace accommodation principle. Today, the accommodation principle means using remote work options, as well as flexible hours and individualized reasonable adjustments to tasks and technologies, to enable full and equal economic participation across the spectrum of disabilities. Continue Reading

Stephen Kuusisto, has a new book due out next week, a collection of poems entitled “Old Horse, What Is to Be Done?”

University Professor Stephen Kuusisto, Director of BBI’s Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach has a new book due out next week, a collection of poems entitled “Old Horse, What Is to Be Done?” It’s his seventh book and his third poetry collection. Of the volume he says: “The poems were written slowly over the past five years although some of them are mined from old notebooks I kept in times of deep solitude. The book is dedicated to the American poet Robert Bly. In my late twenties and early thirties, struggling with blindness and the overwhelming question of “how to live and what to do” Robert counseled me to accept imagination and loneliness as my secret companions. Continue Reading

Video How Lawyers with Disabilities Make Our Justice System Better

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year’s observance of this important event is particularly special: It’s the 75th such observance, and it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. At LSAC, we’re committed to helping people from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, pursue their dreams of legal education and add their diverse voices to our justice system.

To mark this occasion, LSAC partnered with the American Bar Association to produce a video about why law firms and other organizations should hire lawyers with disabilities. The video, recorded remotely via Zoom, includes a variety of people with disabilities who are involved in law and legal education.

The video, recorded remotely via Zoom (due to Covid challenges), includes a variety of people with disabilities who are involved in law, legal education, and advocacy for those with disabilities.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n9BCsqtCYw&feature=youtu.be

Blog Post: https://www.lsac.org/blog/how-lawyers-disabilities-make-our-justice-system-better