The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI), established at
Syracuse University in 2005,
is an organization that aims to advance civic, economic, and social participation of persons with
disabilities in a global society.
Peter Blanck, a University Professor at Syracuse University, is the chairman of BBI.
BBI is headquartered in Syracuse University's
College of Law building to synergize research interests in
civil rights laws.
Outside of Syracuse, BBI also has offices in
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
,
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
,
Lexington, and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
History
BBI takes its name from Burton Blatt (1927–85), a pioneer in humanizing services for people with
mental retardation
Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation, Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...
, a staunch advocate of deinstitutionalization, and a national leader in special education.
In 2004, incoming Syracuse university chancellor
Nancy Cantor
Nancy Ellen Cantor (born April 2, 1952) is an American academic administrator and the chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark, in Newark, New Jersey. A social psychologist, Cantor is recognized for her scholarly contributions to the understanding ...
, during her inauguration speech, announced her intentions to create an institute serving people with disabilities. Peter Blanck and others were recruited fro
Law, Health Policy and Disability Center(LHPDC) to establish a cross-disciplinary research, education, and outreach institute for advancing the quality of life of persons across the spectrum of disabilities, resulting in formation of BBI in 2005.
In addition to BBI, SU houses th
Center for Disability and Inclusion th
Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher EducationCenter on Human PolicyDisability Studies program
and Inclusive U in the School of Education.
Burton Blatt
Burton Blatt was born in New York City on May 23, 1927. He graduated from New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
in 1949, and received a master's degree in education from Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. He also received a doctorate from Penn State. He began his teaching career teaching children with disabilities and eventually became an associate professor and Coordinator of Special Education at New Haven State Teachers College. In 1961, Blatt became the chair of the Special Education Department at Boston University. Then in 1969 he went to Syracuse University as a professor of education and Director of the Division of Special Education and Rehabilitation.
Blatt helped found th
Center of Human Policy
which was an organization involved in insuring rights of individuals with disabilities. In 1976, Blatt became the dean of the Syracuse University School of Education. Outside of teaching, Blatt also consulted with federal agencies and various state departments that deal in different ways with individuals with disabilities. He also was a prominent speaker who gave lectures at universities and other institutions. He has written over 100 books and articles, notably ''Christmas in Purgatory'', a portrait of life in a mental institution, as well as the follow up ''The Family Papers: A Return to Purgatory''. Blatt died in 1985 at the age of 57.
Publications
Burton Blatt Institute faculty and staff also engage in significant scholarship. BBI's publications are largely available to the public, including those printed in peer-reviewed scholarly journals and in other venues. Th
page links the most recent articles as well as historical archives. BBI also produces several listservs which are available at no cost to the public, and which update subscribers on disability-related topics.
Research and projects
In 2020, The Burton Blatt Institute employed of about 30 staff (and 20 students) who worked on more than 25 projects
Disability Inclusive Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
' along with Harvard and Rutgers
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...
.
*Southeast ADA center: Established in 1991, The Southeast ADA center has been operated by BBI since 2006.
References
Further reading
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External links
*{{Official, https://bbi.syr.edu
Disability rights organizations
Health and disability rights organizations in the United States
Syracuse University research institutes