SU’s Burton Blatt Institute receives $500,000 to help employers nationwide in employment of persons with disabilities

SU’s Burton Blatt Institute receives $500,000 to help employers nationwide in employment of persons with disabilitiesOctober 02, 2006Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

The Burton Blatt Institute: Centers of Innovation on Disability at Syracuse University (BBI) recently received a $500,000, 18-month grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). The project, “Disability Case Study Research Consortium on Employer Organizational Practices in Employing People With Disabilities,” will investigate connections between corporate culture, broadly defined, and the employment of people with disabilities.

“This project brings together fresh and unprecedented breadth and experience to this endeavor. Our consortium consists of leading researchers at BBI, Rutgers University, Cornell University, Georgia Institute of Technology and West Virginia University,” says Peter Blanck, BBI chair and University Professor at SU. “To further the reach of our efforts, the consortium will establish a blue ribbon advisory board, with prominent representatives from business, labor and disability organizations, along with nationally recognized disability scholars and practitioners. This national project continues the pioneering legacy of Dr. Blatt, to foster the inclusion and economic empowerment of people with disabilities in society.”

The new BBI initiative already has identified as partners Fortune 100 and smaller case-study companies to develop a new approach to measures of corporate culture and employment outcomes for persons with disabilities, according to Blanck.

“BBI’s activities have opened new doors for law students and students from other Syracuse University schools to study and address the legal, organizational and policy barriers to employment facing persons with disabilities,” says Hannah R. Arterian, dean of the SU College of Law.

The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) takes its name from Burton Blatt, a pioneer in humanizing services for people with mental retardation, staunch advocate of deinstitutionalization, and national leader in special education. BBI works to advance the civic, economic and social participation of persons with disabilities in a global society 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, visit http://bbi.syr.edu.