Self-Determination, Employment, and Community Participation for People with Disabilities: A Conversation with Marco Damiani
“Let’s Get to Work:” A Podcast from the Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (DEP RRTC) – Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.
Marco Damiani, Chief Executive Officer of AHRC New York City (AHRC NYC), joins the DEP RRTC’s Let’s Get to Work podcast hosted by Dr. Peter Blanck, University Professor and Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University and Principal Investigator of the DEP RRTC.
Drawing on decades of experience supporting people with disabilities, Marco discusses his journey from working as a direct support professional to leading one of the largest organizations supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the U.S. He highlights the movement from institutionalization to community-based supports and services and the importance of self-advocacy, self-determination, and Supported Decision-Making.
Marco and Peter also emphasize employment as a way to advance independence and community participation. Using AHRC NYC’s nationally recognized initiatives as examples, they show how meaningful, competitive work benefits people with disabilities, employers, communities, and the broader economy.
We invite our community to listen, read the transcript, and explore the series.
Listen: 
Transcript: Let’s Get to Work: Self-Determination, Employment, and Community Participation for People with Disabilities: A Conversation with Marco Damiani[PDF file]
Episode page: Let’s Get to Work: Self-Determination, Employment, and Community Participation for People with Disabilities: A Conversation with Marco Damiani
About the Let’s Get to Work Podcast
The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, Rutgers University, Cornell University, and Mathematica, invites you to listen to our podcast series: “Let’s Get to Work: Reimagining Disability Employment Policy”. “Let’s Get to Work” features guests with unique knowledge and experience who share their perspective on disability employment policy as part of the work of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)-funded Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. Join us and Let’s Get to Work!
Meet the Let’s Get To Work! Sponsors
The Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (DEP RRTC)
The Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (DEP RRTC) is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR, grant #90RTEM0016) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, Harvard Medical School, Rutgers University, Cornell University, and Mathematica are partnering to design and implement a series of studies that produce new data and evidence on disability employment policy to enhance employment outcomes for persons with disabilities.
Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University (BBI)
The Burton Blatt Institute reaches around the globe to advance the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities through innovative research that informs policy, programs, and practice development. BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, a pioneering disability rights scholar. BBI has offices in Syracuse, New York and Lexington, Kentucky.
Southeast ADA Center
Based in Lexington, Kentucky, the Southeast ADA Center (SEADA) is one of ten regional ADA Centers in the ADA National Network. ADA Centers provide information, training, and guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). SEADA is a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. The Center is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration on Community Living (ACL), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).