Licensed Interior Designer Receives Appointment to US Access Board
President Obama Names New Board Members
May 16, 2016
President Barack Obama has appointed Shelley Siegel, FASID of Lake Worth, Florida to the U.S. Access Board. He also reappointed Sachin Dev Pavithran of Logan, Utah.
In announcing these and other appointments, the President stated, “I am confident that these experienced and hardworking individuals will help us tackle the important challenges facing America, and I am grateful for their service. I look forward to working with them.”
Shelley Siegel, FASID
Siegel is the founder and president of Universal Design and Education Network, an interior design firm that specializes in universal design in residential and commercial projects. She has also been consulting designer of the Siegel Design Group, Inc. since 1972. Siegel is a Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and a member of the Design Alliance for Accessible Sustainable Environments. She previously served as a member of the Advisory Panel for the ASID National Universal Design Program, the Florida Coordinating Council on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs ADA Advisory Board. She succeeds the late Michael Graves, FAIA as Board member.
Pavithran was appointed to the Access Board by the President in 2012 and completed a term as Board Chair in March. He is Program Director of the Utah Assistive Technology Program at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities. He previously served in a variety of other roles at the Center, including as Program Coordinator and Disability Policy Analyst, and is an experienced disability policy consultant and provider of training on assistive technology and accessible websites. He serves on the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs National Board, the Research and Development Committee of the National Federation of the Blind, and the National Multicultural Council of the Association of University Centers for Disabilities.
The Access Board is an independent Federal agency that provides leadership in accessible design under the ADA and other laws. The Board is structured to function as a coordinating body among Federal agencies and to directly represent the public, particularly people with disabilities. Half of its members are representatives from most of the Federal departments, and the other half is comprised of public members appointed by the President.
