Bush Appoints Alpha One Employee to U.S Access Board

Alpha One Press Release

Washington, DC - President George W. Bush this week announced his intention to appoint Denis Pratt of Kennebunk, Maine to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) for the remainder of a four-year term. Denis is currently an Architect and Accessibility Specialist with Alpha One, based in So. Portland. Mr. Pratt is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design and has over 20 years of experience working with accessible design.

The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. It operates with approximately 30 staff and a governing board of representatives from Federal departments and public members who are appointed by the President. Key responsibilities of the Board include:

• developing and maintaining accessibility requirements for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and for electronic and information technology
• providing technical assistance and training on these guidelines and standards
• enforcing accessibility standards for federally funded facilities

Board meetings, which are open to the public, are held every two months, usually in the Washington, D.C. area. Denis will begin Board Member orientation on March 9th in Washington at the Access Board staff offices, where he will also be attending his first Board meeting.

In his past 12 years at Alpha One, Denis has been involved in hundreds of Access Design consultations, projects, and presentations. He has become a recognized expert across New England on "design for universal access" and regulatory compliance. Licensed in Maine and New Hampshire, Denis specializes solely in "barrier free" and "universal" design. Access Design clients include state agencies, municipal governments, school districts, hospitals, non-profit and religious organizations, business owners, housing managers, large corporations, lawyers, individual homeowners, contractors, and design professionals.

"We are tremendously proud of Denis's appointment. He has worked tirelessly over the years to extend awareness of Universal Design for people affected by disabilities," said Steven Tremblay, President of Alpha One. "We are hopeful that with this appointment, Maine will be recognized nationally as a model for the nation in providing equal access for people living with disabilities."

Alpha One's Access Design program provides technical assistance for design professionals, builders, developers, code enforcement officials, business owners and the general public to make public facilities and private homes accessible to all people. Guidance is provided to remove barriers from existing buildings and those in the planning stages to implement both the Americans with Disabilities Act and Maine State access regulations.

Alpha One is Maine's leading enterprise in providing the community with access to information, services and products that create opportunities for people with disabilities. In the past 25 years, Alpha One has been Maine and New England's most comprehensive resource for people who want current information about independent living. Online, www.alphaonenow.com provides a powerful web portal with daily Maine & national disability news. Alpha One also publishes ""One in Five", a regional newspaper serving the needs of the disability community.

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