News

New ADA Live podcast! Episode 104: Employment, ADA, and Post-COVID Health

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on the economy and the workforce. Some employees have developed post-COVID health conditions, or long COVID. And these post-COVID health conditions could impact one or more major life areas that may trigger protections for employees under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In this episode of ADA Live!, we will discuss the impact of post-COVID health on the workplace, employees, and employers – and its effect on our economic recovery. Our guest is Sharon Rennert, Senior Attorney Advisor, in the Division of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (ADA/GINA), Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Continue Reading

New ADA Live! Meet the Director! Anjali Forber-Pratt of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)

In this episode of ADA Live!, discover the important work of NIDILRR with our guest, Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt, Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) since May 2021. Dr. Forber-Pratt will also share her thoughts on the challenges moving forward for disability research, access, and inclusion. Continue Reading

Gary Shaheen, Ph.D. rejoins the Burton Blatt Institute as Project Director

Gary Shaheen, Ph.D. recently re-joined the Senior Staff of the Burton Blatt Institute as Project Director; assisting in the management and development of projects supporting recovery for persons with mental health challenges, and employment inclusion of people with diverse disabilities.

‘Someone Falls Overboard’: University Professor Stephen Kuusisto Co-Authors Book of Pandemic Poetry

Together, Kuusisto and Savarese penned “Someone Falls Overboard,” a book of poems written over the course of two nine-day periods early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The book is a dialogue between the two acclaimed poets, following a model set forth by Marvin Bell and William Stafford with their 1983 collection titled “Segues.” The quickness of the writing was deliberate; the project began when Kuusisto off-handedly suggested, “let’s write poems back and forth frantically to one another” as a way to pass the time and stay connected to one another. Savarese—who says he can typically barely write three sentences in 18 days, let alone 64 different poems—was a bit intimidated by the proposition. Kuusisto, who admits he is a fast writer by nature, likened the process to “playing speed chess with poetry,” which he considers to be great fun.

BBI Chairman Peter Blanck and colleagues author Special Issue of Journal of Cancer Survivorship

The most recent issue of the Journal of Cancer Survivorship, the country’s leading journal on cancer survivors, systematic, scoping, and meta-analytic literature reviews, clinical investigations and policy-related research that can impact the quality of care and quality of life of cancer survivors, presents the research of Peter Blanck, University Professor and Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute, Fitore Hyseni, Arzana Myderrizi, and Paul Harpur, who have contributed three articles for this special edition. In addition, our Rutgers partners (Disability Inclusive Employment Policy and Employer Disability Practices Center RRTC) Douglas Kruse, So Ri Park, and Yana van der Meulen Rodgers are also featured in this special edition. Continue Reading

Syracuse University School of Education Mourns the Passing of Ethel Blatt G’77

The Syracuse University School of Education mourns the passing of Ethel Blatt G’77, wife of former Dean Burton Blatt (1927-1985). Ethel Blatt passed away in Albany, NY, on Jan. 15, 2022. In addition to holding a master’s degree in teacher’s education from the School of Education, she was an employee of the University’s Psychoeducational Teaching Laboratory, alongside Professor Corinne Smith (1945-2021). Her outstanding contributions in lifelong and continuing education were recognized in 2011 with a William Pearson Tolley Medal for Adult Education and Lifelong Learning. Continue Reading

BBI Chairman Peter Blanck on Wisconsin Public Radio Discussing COVID and the ADA

Peter Blanck
Peter Blanck
BBI Chairman and University Professor

Peter Blanck, BBI chairman, on the Ideas Network, helps us understand where vaccine and mask mandates cross over with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Millions of Americans are at higher risk for severe disease or death from COVID-19. That includes people with underlying health conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, older people, and people with intellectual disabilities who research has shown are six times more likely to die from COVID-19. Most states don’t have mask mandates in place raising concerns that people who are at risk will be even more vulnerable. The Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that public spaces, jobs, and schools be accessible to people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Some lawsuits have been filed arguing that this 1990 law should apply during the pandemic to decisions that could put people with disabilities at a higher risk.

Audio and Transcript

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Originally Aired January 18, 2022
Link: https://www.wpr.org/listen/1902071

New Episode Disability Rights Today! Karantsalis v. City of Miami Springs, Florida

Case Summary

The case of Karantsalis v. City of Miami Springs raises many questions about statutes of limitations, progressive disability, and advocacy. In 2008, Theodore Karantsalis, sued the city of Miami Springs, Florida, alleging the city was in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 because its facilities and infrastructure were inaccessible to him due to his multiple sclerosis.  Later, he withdrew his lawsuit, believing he lacked constitutional standing because his symptoms at the time did not substantially limit his mobility. By 2019, Mr. Karantsalis’ multiple sclerosis had progressed and he required a wheelchair for mobility. He refiled his suit alleging the city and the city’s facilities, programs, and services were now inaccessible to him. The district court dismissed his suit, finding that Karantsalis was “barred by the four-year statute of limitations,” which was triggered before or during the 2008 suit when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The district court decision was reversed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, noting that Karantsalis did not have to sue until his disability resulted in a loss of mobility. Continue Reading

Burton Blatt Institute makes inclusivity a top-priority – Daily Orange Feature

The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University’s College of Law has been striving for a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities in its work and research. After receiving $4.3 million from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research in 2020, the BBI helped establish the Disability Inclusive Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. The BBI works on the center in partnership with Harvard and Rutgers Universities. Continue Reading