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Thanks to Sen. Bob Dole, disabled Americans truly can pursue happiness (Guest Opinion by Stephen Kuusisto)

Bob Dole at a speaker podium
Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., makes a speech to supporters as he announced his bid for the Republican nomination for president in Topeka, Kan., April 10, 1995. Dole, who overcame disabling war wounds to become a sharp-tongued Senate leader from Kansas, died at 98. He championed the Americans with Disabilities Act, the last civil rights legislation to pass Congress. (Doug Mills | AP)AP

When the news reached me that Sen. Robert Dole has passed at 98, I was immediately reminded of my one and only meeting with him. I’m a disability rights activist and I’d been invited to the Finnish Embassy in Washington, D.C., to see him receive a lifetime achievement award honoring his work on the Americans with Disabilities Act. He was joined by his co-recipient, Sen. Tom Harkin. his longtime Senate colleague and personal friend. Each man spoke about the bipartisanship and determined optimism that made the ultimate passage of the ADA possible. It was hard work. It was very hard work. Listening to Dole and Harkin, I felt tears stream down my face. My guide dog wondered what was up. Continue Reading

New Episode ADA Live! Show Them How Smart You Are: Self-Advocacy, Parenting, and Autism

Episode 100:Show Them How Smart You Are: Self-Advocacy, Parenting, and Autism

On this episode of ADA Live!

Join us for episode 100 of ADALive! when our guests will be Clarise Shelby-Coleman and her son Chase Coleman who have championed the importance of self-advocacy through a non-profit they have begun, called ‘Show Them How Smart You Are”.

Of all the skills we can learn, being able to advocate for ourselves could very well be the most important. Knowing who we are, what we need, and how to share that information with others is important for all of us, but especially for people with disabilities who are often denied choice in their lives or opportunities to make personal decisions. It is vital that people with disabilities have the opportunity to learn self-advocacy skills and become aware of how to ask for an accommodation in the workplace, or the post-secondary classroom, or to make decisions about lifestyles, living arrangements, or everyday choices.

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Jonathan Martinis interviewed on ABC “Britney Spears is free, but 1.3 million Americans still live under conservatorships”

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

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).

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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

Peter Blanck
Host: Peter Blanck, JD, Ph.D. –  Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute and University Professor at Syracuse University
Claudia Center
Attorney: Claudia Center, JD, Legal Director of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Arlene Mayerson
Attorney: Arlene Mayerson, JD, Directing Attorney of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Victoria Rodríguez-Roldán
Attorney: Victoria Rodríguez-Roldán, JD, senior policy manager for AIDS United

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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

Peter Blanck
Peter Blanck
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