February 5, 2018
BBI Chairman Peter Blanck to discuss CDS and the concepts of “intersectionality” and “fluidity,” as applied in research at the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI).
Meet the Professor: February 5, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: HNES 402, #31, York University (Toronto, Canada)
Q & A with Peter Blanck, Ph.D., J.D.
University Professor & Chairman Burton Blatt Institute
Format: Seminar Q & A with scholar visiting York University.
People with disabilities experience varying forms of discrimination and opportunities in society, such as in the workplace. The concept of “intersectionality” is increasingly taken up in discourses about disability. One may consider the employment experience for some people with disabilities may be very different than for others with different disabilities and varying characteristics (e.g., LGBT+, people of colour, age, gender, etc.). The lived experience of intersectionality also varies over the life course, with the effects of age, motivation and emotion, and context (e.g., “fluidity”). This makes intersectionality and fluidity important to consider in the employment context, among other life spheres. Workplace structures, culture, and attitudinal biases are factors in the inclusion of diverse people with disabilities. In 2017, the American Bar Association launched a first-of-its kind nationwide longitudinal study, conducted by BBI, to identify structural and attitudinal biases encountered by disabled and LGBT+ lawyers in the legal profession, and to help develop strategies to ameliorate such biases. Often, the LGBT+ communities and/or those who have disabilities are not included in such efforts to expand career and professional diversity. The study’s initial findings suggest the need to promote the full and equal participation of diverse persons in the legal profession and elsewhere, and serve as a model for future study of intersectionality and fluidity in CDS.
Come out and discuss the topic with Peter Blanck!
Biography: Dr. Blanck is University Professor at Syracuse University, which is the highest faculty rank granted at the University.
Blanck received a Juris Doctorate from Stanford University, where he was President of the Stanford Law Review, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Harvard University. He has written widely on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and related laws, and received millions of dollars in grants to study disability law and policy. His recent books include: Routledge Handbook of Disability Law and Human Rights (with Flynn, 2017); e-Quality: The Struggle for Web Accessibility by People with Cognitive Disabilities (Cambridge University Press, 2014).
About the Burton Blatt Institute
BBI reaches around the globe in its efforts to advance the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities, with offices in Syracuse, NY, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, GA. BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, a pioneering disability rights scholar, to better the lives of people with disabilities. For more information about BBI, visit: https://bbi.syr.edu.