Blanck to Receive 2015 National Distinguished Disability Service Award - Burton Blatt Institute

May 1, 2015

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Peter Blanck, chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University and University Professor, is to receive the 2015 Distinguished Service Award from NARRTC (formerly known as the National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers). The NARRTC award is given to individuals who have made inspiring contributions to the field of disability through research, teaching, service, and advocacy. It is given for sustained contributions and an accumulation of life-time achievements, and is the highest recognition conferred by NARRTC. NARRTC promotes the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in American society through applied research and training.

Dr. Kathe Matrone, chair of the awards committee, said that the NARRTC award is to recognize Dr. Blanck’s “sustained contributions to the field of disability.” Since prior to passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, Blanck has worked to further NARRTC’s core principles to improve quality of life, independence of life choices, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families through research, teaching, policy, and law. He has published more than 200 articles and books in the area and has generated more than $60 million in grant funding support.

Dr. Blanck, who also is a professor at Syracuse University’s College of Law, commented that “it is a great honor to be recognized by NARRTC, and the award reflects years of collaboration with and commitment by many individuals at BBI, Syracuse University, and elsewhere.”

About the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. BBI is dedicated to inclusive solutions for people with disabilities worldwide. With a staff of more than 50 and offices in Syracuse, NY, Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA, BBI engages in projects on civil and human rights, universal design in the physical and digital worlds, and economic advancement of people with disabilities, in the US and around the globe. For more information, visit https://bbi.syr.edu.