Access Board News

The U.S. Access Board will be hosting a joint webinar with the Zero Project on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, from 1:00 – 2:00 PM (ET), to provide an overview of the Zero Project Awards 2026. Focusing on innovations in Accessibility, ICT, and Crisis Response, the Zero Project Call for Nominations 2026 opened today. The information webinar will be hosted over Zoom for Government and is open to all members of the public; sign language interpreting and real time captioning will be provided . . .

During the latest meeting of the U.S. Access Board, Public and Federal Members, along with staff, attended various sessions throughout the week, several of which focused on veterans organizations and issues affecting veterans with disabilities. On Monday, April 28, following a series of meetings at the Access Board’s office in Washington, DC . . .

The U.S. Access Board will hold a public town hall meeting on Wednesday, July 9 from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. (CT) at the New Orleans Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA. Presidentially appointed Access Board members and representatives from other federal member agencies will be present to hear from the local community about the state of accessibility in Louisiana . . .

At its April meeting, the U.S. Access Board elected Elver Ariza-Silva as its new Chair and Dr. Michael Brennan as its new Vice-Chair. Ariza-Silva is a disability community advocate based out of the District of Columbia. Dr. Brennan is Executive Director for the Office of Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) . . .

This year’s annual Interagency Accessibility Forum (IAAF) will be held virtually on May 20 and 21. The event will be built on the theme Accessible by Design: Enhancing Efficiency in Federal ICT and will take place over Zoom for Government. IAAF will feature a blend of presentations, workshops, and discussions led by accessibility professionals in the federal, private, and other sectors. Presentation topics include . . .

With great sadness, the U.S. Access Board mourns our friend and colleague Mario Damiani, who passed away on Sunday, March 9, 2025. Those who would like to share a memory of Mario can do so using the Kudoboard created in his honor. In addition to sharing a memory through the Kudoboard, please join the Access Board today, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, from 3:00 – 4:30 pm (ET), for a memorial event in honor of Mario’s contributions to the disability community. Attendees are invited to share their memories of Mario . . .

All are welcome to attend the public session of the next meeting of the U.S. Access Board, which will be open to the public and take place on April 30 from 1:30 – 3:00 PM (ET). The agenda for the meeting includes the election of officers, brief reports from standing and ad hoc Board committees, federal agency updates, and a report by Executive Director Sachin Pavithran . . .

With deep sorrow, the U.S. Access Board announces the passing of staff member Mario Damiani, who had served at the agency since 2014. As a Senior Compliance Specialist in the Office of General Counsel, Mario investigated complaints filed under the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA). The law requires that facilities designed, built, altered, or leased with federal funds be accessible. The Access Board is responsible for enforcing the ABA, and Mario played a lead role through . . .

The Access Board's upcoming Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 29 has been postponed. An announcement will be made as soon as a new date has been set . . .

On December 6, 2024, President Joe Biden appointed a new member to the U.S. Access Board: Betty R. Siegel, of Virginia. Betty as a newly appointed member brings a diverse range of knowledge and experiences—spanning the arts and culture, emerging assistive technology, inclusive customer service, and disability rights. Betty Siegel is Director of the Office of Accessibility and VSA at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A recognized leader and expert in disability and accessibility practices within the arts and culture sectors . . .