United Spinal Association’s Accessibility Services program is pleased to welcome Marsha Mazz as its new director of Accessibility Codes and Standards.
Mazz is an experienced accessible design professional who was instrumental in the development of accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA).
“Marsha’s distinguished career in improving access for wheelchair users and all people with disabilities to our built environment will be a tremendous asset to our vision of a barrier-free society,” said Dominic Marinelli, VP of United Spinal’s Accessibility Services program.
Accessibility Services provides consulting services devoted exclusively to making our built environment accessible to people with disabilities. Its goal is to assist property owners and designers as they navigate the myriad of accessibility requirements that apply to any given facility both at the state and federal levels accessibility consulting including plan review, site assessment and training.
Before joining United Spinal, Mazz headed the U.S. Access Board’s Office of Technical and Information Services, which is responsible for the development and maintenance of its accessibility guidelines and standards, as well as its training and technical assistance programs.
Mazz, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and former advocate for the independent living movement, is most known for her efforts to harmonize federal accessibility requirements with their counterpart codes and standards in the private sector. This includes codes and standards authored by the International Code Council, the National Fire Protection Association, and the World Wide Web Consortium.
“I’m honored to be asked to carry on United Spinal Association’s historic commitment to improving accessibility in building codes and standards. The organization’s long record in this field is exceptional,” said Mazz.
Recognized for her technical expertise and mastery of detail in architectural accessibility and building codes and standards, Mazz has received numerous accolades during her career. For her work at the Access Board to improve accessibility and remove barriers for people living with disabilities, she received the American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) 2010 Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award.
On October 17, 2018 the ANSI will also honor Mazz with the Meritorious Service Award for her significant contributions to remove barriers and strengthen accessibility standards.
To learn more about United Spinal’s Accessibility Services program, visit www.accessibility-services.com.