Blanck to speak at National Council on Disability’s Americans with Disabilities news conference; new reports to be released

Blanck to speak at National Council on Disability’s Americans with Disabilities news conference; new reports to be releasedJuly 18, 2007Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

Peter Blanck, University Professor and chair of the Burton Blatt Institute: Centers of Innovation on Disability at Syracuse University (BBI), will speak as part of a distinguished panel at a news conference sponsored by the National Council on Disability (NCD) that will release two reports on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The news conference will take place Thursday, July 26, at 9:30 a.m., at the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro, 733 W. Madison St., Chicago. The date also marks the 17th anniversary of the ADA. Reporters who would like to obtain embargoed copies of the reports should contact Mark S. Quigley, NCD director of communications, at mquigley@ncd.gov, (202) 272-2004 or (202) 272-2074 (TTY).

Blanck was chair of the blue ribbon panel that wrote the first report, “The Impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Assessing the Progress Toward Achieving the Goals of the ADA.” The report describes a two-year retrospective study and review of the impact the ADA has had on the lives of Americans with disabilities over the past 16 years, with particular focus on the ADA’s four major goals: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency.

The second report, “Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Challenges, Best Practices and New Opportunities for Success,” reflects the experiences and ideas of ADA stakeholders from around the country concerning ADA implementation, including small and large businesses, employers, judges and legal professionals, governmental entities and individuals with disabilities.

Speakers at the news conference will include John R. Vaughn, NCD chairperson; Linda Wetters, NCD board member; Silvia Yee, staff attorney for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Roy Flora, chief operating officer of US Franchise Systems Inc.; Rene Luna, consumer; and John Catlin, FAIA partner of LCM Architects.

NCD is an independent federal agency composed of 15 members appointed by the U.S. president, by and with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate. It provides advice to the president, the Congress and executive branch agencies to promote policies, programs, practices and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. NCD empowers individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, inclusion and integration into all aspects of society. For more information, visit http://www.ncd.gov.

BBI takes its name from Burton Blatt, a pioneer in humanizing services for people with disabilities, staunch advocate of deinstitutionalization and national leader in special education. With its multiple satellite offices and partners, BBI works nationally and internationally to advance the civic, economic and social participation of persons with disabilities by fostering public-private dialogue and building the capacity to transform policy, systems and people through inclusive education, the workforce and communities. For more information on BBI, the ADA reports and the expert panel, visit http://bbi.syr.edu.