program ACTIVITIES
2004-2005
Wendy Scott, Assistant Director for Faculty and Outreach Services at Barclay
Law Library and Tasha Cooper, Reference Librarian at E. S. Bird Library,
are planning two library information sessions for those interested in disability related research.
March 23, 12:00 noon
School of Education, Huntington Hall, Electronic Resource Center (Room 056)
Library Focus on Disability Studies: Wendy Scott will present
information about resources related to disability law, and Tasha will
following with an update on disability studies-related resources at
Syracuse University Library.
January 26, 12 noon
School of Education, Huntington Hall, Electronic Resource Center (Room 056)
Update on library resources, and informal Question and Answer session
about the Syracuse University Library and the Law Library. Bring your
questions and stop by for a look at search options and new resources.
Feel free to provide us with questions in advance (Tasha Cooper,
nacoop01@syr.edu ; Wendy Scott, wescott@law.syr.edu ).
March 7, 2005 4:00 p.m.
The first hour consisted of a panel discussion moderated by Assistant Professor Michael Schwartz; assisting Michael were Professor Arlene Kanter and two third-year law students, Crystal Doady and Julie Morse. The Americans with Disabilities Act was the subject, and each panelist spoke to a different title of the law. After the panelists gave an overview of the law, the Irish students led by Professor Timms asked questions about the ADA.
The second hour consisted of a panel of people with disabilities from the local Syracuse community, again moderated by Professor Schwartz. The members of the panel spoke to their personal experiences with the ADA and took questions from the Irish audience.
The technology was awesome. In addition to being connected via video technology, a CART reporter took down the dialogue verbatim, and a transcript is available. Zenna Preli, a sign language interpreter, was present to voice Professor Schwartz's signs. Two videotapes of the class were produced: a tape of the Irish students on screen, and a tape of the Americans (a separate camera was set up to videotape the panelists).
Professor Timms and his students raved about the class. We agreed we would do it on an annual basis. Hopefully this will lead to an exchange program between the UCD and the College of Law.
This talk is especially designed for first year COL Legislation and Policy students as well as those students interested in public policy and disability law and policy since Mr. Silverstein will be discussing how research and advocacy ideas translate into public policy, including his own experience drafting the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Mr. Silverstein’s visit is co-sponsored by the School of Social Work, the Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee (BCCC), and the DisAbility Law Society.
Monday, February 7, 2005, 11:45am-12:45pm
College of Law, Room 200
Ambassador Luis Gallegos, the permanent representative of Ecuador to the United Nations.
Presentation: "Evolution of the Work of the United Nations in Promoting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: The Work of the Ad Hoc Committee toward an International 
Convention."
The Ambassador has been instrumental on promoting the rights of people with disabilities worldwide in his current role as chairman of the U.N. Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Promotion and Protection of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.
November 30, 2004
Professor Kanter Participated in World Bank Meeting on Disability and Development
Professor Arlene Kanter, was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., to discuss experiences of the legal community in mainstreaming disability into the development agenda. The Roundtable was hosted by Roberto Dañino, senior vice president and general counsel of the World Bank, and the honored guest was H.E. Ambassador Luis Gallegos.
2003-2004
Spring 2004 Disability and Human Rights Speaker Series
The Disability and Human Rights Speaker Series is proudly sponsored by: The SU College of Law, NGO and Civil Society Initiative (SPIRE), SU Disability Studies Program, Global Affairs Institute of Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, College of Law Center for Global Law and Practice, Center on Human Policy, Disability Law Society, and the Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee.
Thursday, April 1st
Peter Blanck, Charles and Marion Keirscht Professor of Law and Public Health at the University of Iowa, Univ. of Iowa College of Law
Professor Blanck is the Director of the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center at the Iowa College of Law. The Center is a leader in law, technology, education and research, focused on improving the quality of life for persons living with disabilities. He is the author of many articles on the ADA. His most recent co-edited book is entitled Disability, Civil Rights Law and Policy (2004).
Monday, March 1st 
Judith Heumann, Advisor on Disability, The World Bank
Judith Heumann was appointed as the World Bank’s first Advisor on Disability and Development in July 2002. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Heumann was an Assistant Secretary of Education in the U.S. Department of Education during the Clinton Administration, in charge of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. She is also a co-founder of the World Institute on Disability.
Friday, January 30th
Eric Rosenthal, Executive Director, Mental Disability Rights International ("MDRI")
Eric Rosenthal is the founder and Executive Director of MDRI, an advocacy organization dedicated to the international recognition and enforcement of the rights of people with mental disabilities. Mr. Rosenthal has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability, and the US National Council on Disability, and is the author of several reports and published articles on international disability rights.
FILM SERIES
September 8-December 1, 2003.
The Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee, with the Center on Human Policy, presents a film series, entitled, “ Reflections on Diversity: Disability in Film,” which focused on addressing disability as another form of diversity. Films challenge common assumptions of normality and ability and recognize the humanity of all people. A small reception after each film is planned to facilitate discussion.
Sponsors: The Film Series was co-sponsored by the Kaleidoscope Project-Office of the Senior Vice President of Student Affairs and Office of the Vice President for Undergraduate Studies, The Division of Student Affairs U. Encounter Grant, Yvonne Boeger, Sociology Department, Allen Speiser Vocational Rehabilitation Fund, Social Science Department, LGBT Resource Center, SU Gerontology Center, Facilitated Communication Institute, School of Education Dean’s Office, Teaching and Leadership Department, College of Law, the disAbility Law Society and the BCCC (Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee).
November 9, 2003
Guest Speaker, Anne Ruffer answered the question, “Does Pro Bono Work Make a Difference?” at a meeting co-sponsored by the disAbility Law Society and Corporate Law Society
Anne Ruffer, Esq., an alumna of SUCOL and partner at the MacKenzie Hughes Law Firm in Syracuse, where she specializes in Trusts, Estates and Personal Planning law, discussed a recent case in which she succeeded in obtaining Medicaid benefits for a client whom she represented on a pro bono basis. She also discussed her work on the case and how it has informed her views about the systems that assist/hinder people with disabilities.
2002-2003
October 17, 2002
A Retrospective Look at Hendrick Hudson District Board of Education v. Rowley and the Right to Equality of Opportunity in Education.
A panel presentation by Nancy and Cliff Rowley , Plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case and Michael Chatoff, Esq. The Rowley’s attorney and the first deaf lawyer to appear before the Supreme Court . The panel was moderated by Michael Schwartz, Esq., , Cultural Foundations of Education, Disability Studies. This panel discussed the famous Supreme Court case concerning quality education for individuals with disabilities and will discuss implications for the future. Funding for this event was made possible through contributions by the College of Law and the National Resource Center on Supported Living and Choice at the Center on Human Policy.
Spring 2005 Speaker Series
Monday, February 14, 2005, 4:00pm-5:30pm
College of Law, Room 100
Robert Silverstein, Esq. Director of the Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy, Washington, D.C.
Presentation: “A Congressional Insider’s View: How to Be an Effective Disability Policy Change Agent.”
Israeli Mental Health Lawyer and Scholar to visit the College of Law
ASSAF TOIB, LLM, a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy of the University of Virginia will be giving a talk about Israeli Mental Health Law and Policy on Monday, March 7 in Room 201. Please join us.
February 28, 2005 9:00 a.m.
University College Dublin Video Conference
Dublin, Ireland
On Friday, February 28th, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EST, a small group of students, professors, and community people with disabilities engaged in a colloquy with Professor Michael Timms and his class of Irish students in the Disability Studies program at the University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. The Americans sat in the Huntington Hall ERC on the SU campus, while the Irish students sat in a classroom in Dublin; both were hooked up via a videoconference call.