R. Speed Davis

Policy Advisor U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy

Speed Davis is a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy. He previously served as executive assistant to the chairperson and as acting executive director of the National Council on Disability (NCD), an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and the Congress on public policy issues affecting people with disabilities.

For almost 25 years, Speed has played a strong leadership role in advocacy activities on behalf of people with a wide range of disabilities. He has worked with public officials and private citizens to improve the status of people with disabilities in the areas of civil rights, accessibility, universal design, employment, and transportation.

Speed has been a member of the Institute for Human Centered Design [Adaptive Environments] Board of Directors since 1987 and is a past president of the board. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee for the Center for Universal Design, Raleigh, North Carolina, and a board member of Independent Living Resources, a non-profit consulting firm promoting full integration of people with disabilities into the community, with an emphasis on universal design. He previously served for five years on the Architectural Access Board in Massachusetts.

Speed is a nationally recognized expert on housing rights of people with disabilities, and is well known for his expertise on the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.