Jonathan Martinis campaigns for an alternative to guardianships known as Supported Decision Making. According to Jonathan, “The most important question we can ask before putting someone in guardianship is what else have you tried?” Britney Spears has put the issue of conservatorships firmly in the global spotlight. The singer was forced to go through an immense legal battle to regain control over her life. The decision to terminate the arrangement is being celebrated not just by Britney fans, but by disability rights advocates. Continue Reading
News
New Episode ADA Live! Honoring our Veterans – Services and Support for Veterans and their Families
Episode 99:Honoring our Veterans – Services and Support for Veterans and their Families
On this episode of ADA Live!
Each year, 175,000 young Americans enlist in the military. At the heart of this recruitment effort is a sacred promise to take care of those who serve.
In recognition of Veteran’s Day on November 11, discover the history, programs and supports offered by the Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). Listen and explore this informative discussion and celebration of military veterans.
On this episode of ADA Live! our guest is Misty Stutsman Fox, Director of the Entrepreneurship and Small Business portfolio at the Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).
New Episode Disability Rights Today! An Insider’s Perspective on the Legal System featuring Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell
On this episode of Disability Rights Today, we welcome Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California. She also served as Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Stanford Law School. Judge Cordell practiced law in East Palo Alto, CA, a low-income, African American, and Mexican American community south of San Francisco. Judge Cordell is the author of a new book, Her Honor: My Life of the Bench…What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change it. Of Her Honor, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich says, “With candor and insight, Judge LaDoris Cordell puts a human face of the judges who make life-changing decisions on a daily basis. She takes readers inside the courtroom, presenting stories of the people whose lives have been altered, for better or worse, by our laws and the professionals who enact them.”
Join us for this episode, as Judge Cordell shares with Dr. Peter Blanck, JD, PhD, University Professor and Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, her unique perspective on how our legal system works and the prejudice that pervades it. Continue Reading
Disability Rights Today New Episode! Upcoming Supreme Court Term Critical Cases that Could Impact the Disability Community
Speakers
BBI Chairman Peter Blanck to Moderate Digital Accessibility Legal Summit 2021
Peter Blanck, BBI Chairman & University Professor at Syracuse University will moderate a panel discussion at the Digital Accessibility Legal Summit 2021, October 7-8, 2021. The panel is titled: “Discovery: Understanding Impacts of Ableism, and Increasing Diversity in Digital Development Environments.” Dr. Blanck will lead discussion about the development environment and processes for websites and other digital content, as part of the groundwork for discovery in website accessibility litigation. Questions to be addressed include: “Why does development fail to properly address accessibility?” The panel will explore concepts such as ableism in corporate culture, as well as designer psychology, motivation, and education/training. Where shortcomings are found, the panel will discuss methods for building a more inclusive development environment. Continue Reading
BBI Chairman Peter Blanck to Participate in DEI Roundtable Led by New York City Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities and Muscular Dystrophy Association
BBI Chairman & University Professor at Syracuse University
Peter Blanck, BBI Chairman & University Professor at Syracuse University, will participate in the DEI Roundtable sponsored by New York City Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities and Muscular Dystrophy Association, on October 5, 2021. The distinguished group of DEI authorities and advocates, educational leaders, and media executives, in engage a roundtable discussion. The group is to explore how our industries can promote an inclusive workplace by taking a leadership role in amplifying and creating meaningful employment opportunities for individuals living with disabilities. The purpose is providing an open forum to discuss disability employment topics, share experiences, ideas, and challenges. The goal is to think global and act local by partnering with like-minded professionals within the New York Metro area uniting in our efforts as part of a DEI Coalition. Continue Reading
BBI Receives $6.2 Million Award for Southeast ADA Center to Advance Understanding of Disability Rights, Responsibilities
For the third time in 15 years, the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) has been awarded a five-year, $6.2 million grant to advance and support understanding of rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through its Southeast ADA Center.
The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration on Community Living (ACL), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Continue Reading
BBI Chairman Peter Blanck, Fitore Hyseni, and Fatma Altunkol Wise author Special Issue of American Journal of Law & Medicine
American Journal of Law & Medicine Special Issue on National Study of Discrimination in the Legal Profession Facing Lawyers with Disabilities and Who Identify as LGBTQ+, by BBI Chairman Peter Blanck, Fitore Hyseni, and Fatma Altunkol Wise
The Spring 2021 issue of the American Journal of Law & Medicine (AJLM), the country’s leading health law journal, presents the research of Peter Blanck, University Professor and Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute, Fitore Hyseni, and Fatma Altunkol Wise, who have conducted a seminal national study on reported discrimination and bias in the legal profession facing lawyers with disabilities and lawyers who identify as LGBTQ+ — with additional commentary by prominent legal practitioners and scholars. Continue Reading
Southeast ADA Center Announces Launch of Disability Rights Today Podcast Series in celebration of the ADA 31st Anniversary
The Southeast ADA Center, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, is pleased to announce the launch of a new podcast series, Disability Rights Today –your source for in depth discussion about important court cases that shape the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In celebration of the 31st ADA anniversary, please join us on July 26 for our next episode featuring the recently decided court case – Crawford v. Hinds County Board of Supervisors, (5th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2021). Topics include jury duty and courthouse access. Our guests will be the plaintiff, Dr. Scott Crawford and his lead counsel, Andrew Bizer, with the law firm Bizer & Dereus, New Orleans, LA. Continue Reading
BBI’s Jonathan Martinis featured in Times, Washington Post, PBS, and BPR “How Britney Spears’ Case Could Change the Future of Conservatorship”
“Every time we shine a little bit of light, things get easier for everyone after that. Britney’s not just shining a light, she’s a huge spotlight,” says Martinis. “So maybe just maybe the conversation changes a little bit and the culture changes a little bit. And we say before guardianship, what else can we do?” “It’s a cultural failure,” says Jonathan Martinis, senior director for law and policy at Syracuse University’s Burton Blatt Institute and a leading expert on alternatives to conservatorship. Continue Reading