The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University recently formed an agreement to work with the Center for International Rehabilitation with a mission to create equal opportunities for people everywhere with disabilities.

The CIR is a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago that, like the BBI, does research to better the lives of people with disabilities around the world.

‘It’s a very exciting opportunity for the BBI,’ said Peter Blanck, chair of the BBI.

The BBI deals with education, research and outreach, Blanck said.

The BBI sent four SU College of Law students to Washington, D.C. this past summer to intern with Robert Silverstein, J.D., a widely-recognized attorney who deals with public policy concerning people with disabilities. Blanck stressed the BBI has a strong educational mission.

‘Part of this is to work with students,’ Blanck said.

Blanck said he hopes the cooperation between these two organizations will make SU one of the premier centers for research on this issue.

‘We are helping bring the international perspective to the university,’ Blanck said.

Blanck said he is excited about how the CIR would allow the BBI to expand the reach of its programs.

‘We have this unique opportunity to contribute to educational opportunities of students here and internationally, students abroad,’ Blanck said.

Meera Adya, director of research of the BBI, said she is also excited about the new opportunities this partnership will create.

‘We are becoming one of the premier organizations in research on disabilities,’ she said.

The CIR would provide many international connections for the BBI in research, she said. Adya manages all the BBI’s research projects.

Adya also noted the opportunities this will create for the students. She said she hopes this collaboration will lead to more internship programs this summer like the one in Washington, D.C. last summer.

‘We hope to have international opportunities for our students,’ she said. ‘We work with students at all levels from all colleges. At every level possible, we’re getting students involved in our research.’

The work involved could be very interesting, said Claire Zillman, a sophomore public relations and political science major.

‘It appeals to me because I feel like it has a purpose,’ said Amy Hecht, a junior policy studies major. ‘It actually has a cause.’

For more information on the projects the BBI is involved in, visit http://bbi.syr.edu. For more information on the CIR, visit www.cirnetwork.org.

Published on October 3, 2006 at 12:00 pm