On Thursday June 17th, Barry Whaley, M.S., Project Director of Southeast ADA Center a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University; Founding Board Member and Past President of Kentucky APSE; will be delivering the closing keynote speech at the National Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) 2020 Conference. The theme of the APSE conference is “Employment Fist Elevated”. To commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Whaley will reflect on significant events and leaders of the disability rights movement in their long yet rewarding journey towards equality. Continue Reading
Barry Whaley, Director of Southeast ADA Center, Giving Keynote Presentation at National APSE Conference
The Southeast ADA Center Launches Disability and COVID-19 Portal
The Southeast ADA Center (SEADA), a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University and a member of the ADA National Network, announces the launch of the Disability and COVID-19 Portal.
The Portal, in development since mid-March, began as a way for the Southeast ADA Center to provide timely and relevant information for people with disabilities about the COVID-19 pandemic and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). You can explore the Portal through Alerts, Fast Facts, Virtual Events, and over 250 Resources from known national, federal, state, and organizational sources. Some information is available in Spanish, and American Sign Language. Continue Reading
Mary Morder
Mary Morder serves as Materials Development and Information Technology Support at the Southeast ADA Center. She works with a team to produce and edit ADA materials and provide support to the web developer.
Mary has more than 40 years of experience in business communications, law, and disability rights. She represents the Southeast ADA Center on two ADA National Network committees, Knowledge Translation and OMS Data Coordination. She is a member of the Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults.
Mary holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from Agnes Scott College.
Cheri Hofmann
Cheri Hofmann serves as a Technical Assistant Specialist at the Southeast ADA Center. She is a recognized voice for ADA technical assistance and training across the Southeast ADA Center’s eight-state region for businesses, state and local government, and people with disabilities.
Cheri began her career in 1976 working with the Federal Government as a training coordinator. During her 16 years in federal service, she worked with the Staff Judge Advocates Office as a paralegal and at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as a paralegal assistant, gaining experience in legal, technical writing, training, contracting, procurement, and architecture and engineering design. In 2000, she began working with the Independent Living Movement as the Advocacy/Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Independent Living (CIL) Disability Resource Center. She joined the Southeast ADA Center in 2002 as a part-time ADA Technical Assistant and became full-time in 2003. Throughout her career, Cheri has been involved in volunteering, fundraising, and researching laws for people with disabilities.
Cheri is a National Certified Legal Assistant and ADA Coordinator.
Sally Z. Weiss Retires from BBI’s Southeast ADA Center
May 29, 2018
Sally Z. Weiss Retires from Syracuse University’s Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) – Southeast ADA Center
Sally Weiss, a pioneer and tireless advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, retired in March 2018 from Syracuse University’s Burton Blatt Institute (BBI).
In an amazing career spanning four decades, Sally’s work began in the classroom in Rockville, MD, continued as an editor with the American Enterprise Institute, and then on to the United Cerebral Palsy where she served in multiple roles including Information/Publications Coordinator, Project Director, and National Projects Coordinator. Continue Reading
Celestia Ohrazda
Celestia Ohrazda is an Information Design Specialist. Her professional experience and interests focus on the accessibility and usability of web-based technologies and the adoption of innovations, specifically media-rich technologies. She joined BBI in 2009, and her primary responsibilities include the design and development of BBI’s primary and subsidiary websites, support of distance learning technologies, design and evaluation of survey instrumentation, and the creation and assurance of accessible electronic products. She works across many of BBI’s projects and has a particularly central role in the Southeast ADA Center.
Celestia’s experience as a designer and producer of web-based technologies, coupled with her experience as a researcher, provides her with a unique perspective as a scholar who brings multiple methodologies to bear on the design, dissemination, and evaluation of technology-driven interventions.
Celestia holds a B.A. in English, an M.S. and a Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S) in Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation from Syracuse University.