News

New ADA Live podcast! Episode 105: Let’s Fly Away – Air Travel for Passengers with Disabilities

Air travel is often essential for employment, integral for recreation pursuits and vital for social and family connections. But, air travel can be challenging and full of anxiety for the 27 million travelers with disabilities and the 3.3 million passengers who use a wheelchair or other medical device for mobility.

In this episode of ADA Live! discover what airports and airlines are doing to make air travel experiences better for people with disabilities. Our guest is Steve Mayers, Director of Customer Experience and ADA Coordinator, at the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Continue Reading

New Disability Rights Today! The ADA Three Decades Later: How Are We Doing?

Description

Thirty-two (32) years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the ADA is still treated as an afterthought, rather than a powerful civil rights law. Please join us for this important discussion about how ADA compliance has progressed over the years and where gaps remain in realizing the ideals and intent of the ADA.

On this episode of Disability Rights Today, our first guest is nationally known advocate and expert on disability rights law, Eve Hill, a partner at the law firm of Brown Goldstein & Levy. Our second guest is Jason Turkish, President and Managing Partner of Nyman Turkish PC, a nationwide litigation and disability law firm. Our host is Dr. Peter Blanck, Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute and University Professor at Syracuse University. Continue Reading

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

Janice Baldon-Gutter Joins the Burton Blatt Institute as the Program Coordinator – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Southeast ADA Center

Janice Baldon-Gutter
Janice Baldon-Gutter Joins the Burton Blatt Institute as the Program Coordinator – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Southeast ADA Center

Janice Baldon-Gutter, MS-HRE, MBA, SHRM-CP, HCRI-PHR, has joined the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University as the Program Coordinator – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Southeast ADA Center.

Ms. Baldon-Gutter has over 25 years’ experience in human resources and 18 years teaching in higher education. She has certifications from: The Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP); and Professional in Human Resources (PHR) – Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). Continue Reading

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

Original Source: SU News & Diana Weiner

Setting the scene … It’s spring of 2020. The world has been shut down for a period of weeks or months (you stopped keeping track at some point). You are living with a disability—perhaps you’re blind or you have a highly complex autoimmune condition that makes it especially precarious to make your way through daily life during a global pandemic. You are feeling isolated, alienated, disconnected and at times downright terrified. What do you do? Continue Reading

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

View Interactive Transcript on Rev.com

Download Transcript [PDF]

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