Aphasia is a communication disability that affects our ability to understand written and spoken language. Aphasia can happen suddenly, often following a stroke or head injury or it may also develop slowly, as the result of a brain tumor or a progressive neurological disease. Aphasia does not affect a person’s ability to think or reason. Aphasia may co-occur with speech disorders, such as dysarthria or apraxia of speech, which also result from brain damage. (Source: nidcd.nih.gov/health/aphasia)
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New Disability Rights Today podcast! Episode 8: Perez v Sturgis Public Schools
On March 21, 2023, the United States Supreme Court in Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools unanimously decided that individuals who have entered into a settlement resolving their claims under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), can also pursue claims for money damages against school districts under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) without exhausting the administrative process under IDEA. This decision reverses a decision made by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Continue Reading
New ADA Live podcast! Episode 117: ADA and Effective Communication in Health Care Settings with the Department of Justice
For people with hearing loss and deafness, communication barriers in health care result in the inability to understand critical health information. In the United States, about 1 in every 8 people of all ages has some form of hearing loss. Behind arthritis and heart disease, hearing loss is the third most common disability. (Source: HealthyHearing.com) Continue Reading
Michael Morris, BBI’s Senior Advisor, selected to be the recipient of the 2023 NARRTC Distinguished Service Award
NARRTC, formerly known as the National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers, selected Michael Morris to be the recipient of the 2023 NARRTC Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award is made to individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of disability through research , teaching, service , or advocacy. It is the highest recognition conferred by NARRTC. Mr. Morris serves as Senior Advisor to the Burton Blatt Institute. Continue Reading
BBI Mourns the Passing of Senior Fellow, Friend, and Collaborator Larry Logue
It is with great sadness we bring the news of friend, collaborator, BBI Senior Fellow’s death. Larry Logue worked extensively with BBI chairman Peter Blanck writing numerous books and articles together. He was also a frequent quest speaker for the Southeast ADA Center focusing on the History of Veterans and Disability.
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Jonathan Martinis, BBI Senior Director for Law and Policy, quoted in historical Michigan guardianship case
In courts across the country, Martinis has successfully argued adults with disabilities don’t always need the extreme step of guardianship. He says they can use Supported Decision-Making instead. “My favorite question when it comes to guardianship, what else have you tried? Before we decide to take rights away, shouldn’t we ask that question? Rights are precious,” said Jonathan Martinis, the Senior Director for Law and Policy at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. Continue Reading
Honoring the Life and Work of Judy Heumann
Source: Southeast ADA Center and the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University (BBI)
Judith “Judy” Heumann
(1947-2023)
Few individuals in the disability rights and justice movement had the impact of our friend, colleague, and collaborator, Judy Heumann. The Southeast ADA Center, the Burton Blatt Institute, and the Disability Inclusive Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RIEP RRTC) join with disability rights organizations across the country and around the world in expressing our sorrow at her passing. Our thoughts are with Judy’s husband Jorge and with her family and friends in this difficult time. We have included below a list of memorials and remembrances of Judy, as well as links to our past collaborations with her, including her Section 504 at 50 interview and her guest episodes on our ADA Live! podcast. Continue Reading
Nare Galstyan, Ph.D. has joined the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University as a Senior Research Associate
Nare Galstyan, Ph.D. has joined the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University as a Senior Research Associate. She will implement BBI’s evaluation of new web-based technology supporting access and use of psychiatric advanced directives (PADs) by people with mental health challenges across seven California counties.
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New ADA Live podcast! Episode 115: Living Well with Kidney Disease
In recognition of National Kidney Month in March, learn about kidney disease and your health, kidney transplants, and kidney donors. Our guest is Dr. Frita McRae Fisher, M.D., a board-certified physician and nephrologist with Midtown Nephrology, P.C., in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Frita is also a member of the Georgia National Kidney Foundation Board of Directors.
BBI Evaluates an Innovative Approach to Psychiatric Advanced Directives across Seven California Counties
The Orange County, California Health Care Agency has contracted with BBI to conduct a four – year evaluation of an innovative web-based platform supporting the availability and accessibility of Psychiatric Advanced Directives (“PADs”) used by persons with mental health challenges. PADs are a form of self-determination that results in the creation of a legal document specifying a person with mental health challenges’ preferences for treatment and support when they are unable to make their own decisions. Continue Reading