The Heller School for Social Policy and Management
The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy

2018 News Archives

  • Retired U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), a pioneer in championing disability policy on Capitol Hill, presented the 2018 Lurie Institute Annual Distinguished Lecture, "True Integration: Meaningful Work for People with Disabilities," on Nov. 7, 2018.

  • The Lurie Institute's National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities, a cross-disability research and advocacy program, is pleased to announce that the Spanish-language version of the website, Centro Nacional de Investigación para Padres con Discapacidades, is now available. 

  • In October, Heller School researchers, including Principal Investigator Sharon Reif, PhD’02, senior scientist and deputy director of the Institute for Behavioral Health (IBH), and Drs. Monika Mitra and Joanne Nicholson of the Lurie Institute, received a $1.5 million, three-year grant to investigate opioid use among people with disabilities in the United States.

  • The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy was awarded a federal grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to develop a comprehensive Community Living Policy Center in conjunction with a coalition of nonprofit organizations geared toward advancing fostering the inclusion of people with disabilities within the wider community. 

  • Three of our researchers received grants and fellowships for their groundbreaking work in disability policy. Robyn Powell is the inaugural recipient of the Judge Jonathan Brant Fellowship, a doctoral research fellowship for researchers in disability policy. In addition, she has also received the Brandeis Provost's Award for her work. Drs. Marji Erickson Warfield and Ilhom Akobirshoev received Noonan Grants to fund their work into disability and health policy. 

  • We are pleased to announce that Dr. Monika Mitra has been named the Director of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy after serving as the Interim Director for the past year. We are delighted to continue working under her stewardship. 

  • On April 24th, Marsha Mailick, PhD'78, offered a lunchtime lecture Aging and Autism: Changes in the Autism Behavioral Phenotype and Health. Dr. Mailick is the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  • On February 5th, we co-hosted a 'Deis Impact event with the Brandeis American Sign Language Club. We screened the film "Sound and Fury" and hosted a panel discussion on cochlear implants with experts in the field after the film.