Newswise — SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – University Professor Peter Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University, will join the Honorable Chai Feldblum, Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), to open the American Bar Association’s National Conference on Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities.

The goal of the conference, held May 8 in Washington, D.C., is to eliminate bias against people with disabilities and to advance the full and equal participation of lawyers with disabilities in the legal profession. Blanck and Feldblum will speak at the conference’s opening session, “ADAAA One Year After the Regulations: Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities.”

The two experts will examine the role of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008 and the EEOC’s final regulations in eliminating disability-based discrimination in the workplace and promoting diversity and inclusion by enabling qualified individuals with disabilities to participate in the workforce.

Blanck’s work influenced the EEOC’s adoption of a number of its final rules. In 2011, the EEOC extensively cited Blanck’s research in its final rules and regulations for the employment provisions of the ADA.

More information about the conference

About the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University BBI reaches around the globe to advance the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities. BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, former dean of SU’s School of Education and a pioneering disability rights scholar, to better the lives of people with disabilities. BBI engages in projects on civil and human rights, entrepreneurship and employment, access and universal design, and economic empowerment. BBI has offices in Syracuse, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Ga. For more information, visit http://bbi.syr.edu. ###