News

Martinis Leads Panel on Supported Decision-Making at Saks Institute’s Spring Symposium

April 18, 2017

Jonathan Martinis
Jonathan Martinis

Jonathan Martinis, Senior Director of Law and Policy at the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI), will serve as a distinguished speaker and expert on Supported Decision-Making (SDM) at the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics’ Spring Symposium on Monday, April 24. The event, entitled “Supported Decision-Making: Giving Mental Health a Voice,” will be moderated by The New York Times’ Ben Carey and will feature several notable speakers and panelists including Martinis, Director of the Saks Institute and BBI Board Member Elyn Saks, SDM advocates Ryan and Susie King, and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. Continue Reading

Joshua R. Tumen joins Board of Advisors at BBI

April 11, 2017

Josh Tuman
Joshua R. Tumen

The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University has announced the addition of Joshua R. Tumen, Esq. to its Board of Advisors. Joshua R. Tumen, Esq., is a Litigation Associate at White and Williams LLP in New York, New York. He represents corporations, commercial entities, and insurance agencies in matters including complex litigation, contractual disputes and tort claims. Continue Reading

BBI to Advise Lewis County on Emergency Communications Operating Procedures

April 5, 2017

The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University (BBI) was chosen by Lewis County, New York, through the competitive bid process, to assist the county in meeting their New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Statewide Interoperable Communications Grant requirements. The grant is focused on governance and training for Lewis County’s new multijurisdictional Land Mobile Radio system for public safety. Continue Reading

Paul Harpur publishes monograph on e-books and the book famine

March 28, 2017

Discrimination, Copyright and Equality: BBI international distinguished fellow publishes monograph on e-books and the book famine

Dr Paul Harpur, senior lecturer in law at the University of Queensland, Australia and international distinguished fellow with the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, has just published a ground breaking monograph which argues that technology now creates the possibility that everyone in the world, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, should be able to access the written word.  This is however not the case.  Continue Reading

Leading Spanish Authority, Professor Montserrat Pereña Vicente, Appointed BBI Senior International Fellow

March 20, 2017

Montserrat Perena-Vincente
Montserrat Perena-Vincente

Montserrat Pereña Vicente, professor of law and senior researcher at King Juan Carlos University in Madrid, Spain, has been appointed a Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) Senior International Fellow. Professor Perena is also director of the Research Centre on Persons Law and Patrimony Law, where her studies focus on the rights of people with disabilities and the impact of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on legislation and legal practice of countries in continental Europe, South America, and Cuba. Continue Reading

Derrick Cogburn Joins Global Universal Design Commission (GUDC) Board of Directors

February 28, 2017

Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn, Executive Director of the Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) and Associate Professor at American University, Joins Global Universal Design Commission (GUDC) Board of Directors

Syracuse, NY – Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn, Associate Professor at the School of International Service at American University and Executive Director of the Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP), has been appointed to the Global Universal Design Commission (GUDC) Board of Directors. Continue Reading

BBI CHAT Alum With Cerebral Palsy Finally Finds His Voice

February 6, 2017

Leo True-Frost on NBC Nightly News

Recently, Leo True-Frost, an alum of the BBI CHAT Program (Communication Hope through Assistive Technology), was featured in a profile by NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. Eight-year-old Leo has cerebral palsy, which makes it difficult for him to fully articulate words. Thus, he uses a computer-generated voice to communicate with family and friends. However, computerized voices are not individualized to the user and can cause the user to lose part of their identity. Leo’s computer-generated voice, for example, has a frequency similar to a 40-year-old man, not an eight-year-old. Continue Reading