ADA and Facility Access Compliance: An Advanced Interpretation and Application Workshop on Federal Accessibility Requirements - Harvard University Graduate School of Design

James L.E. Terry, AIA, CASp, LEED AP

CEO of Evan Terry Associates, LLC

James L. E. Terry, AIA, CASp, LEED AP, is the CEO and leader of the access-compliance team at Evan Terry Associates, PC (ETA), a Birmingham, AL, architectural firm. ETA consults with large institutions, corporations, federal, state, and local government clients to help them assimilate accessibility requirements and universal design solutions into their barrier removal, facility design, planning, maintenance, and customer service programs.

Bill Hecker, AIA

Hecker Design, LLC

Bill Hecker, AIA, is an architect and accessibility consultant at Hecker Design, LLC, Birmingham, AL. He has been involved in numerous landmark lawsuits related to the Fair Housing Act, ADA hotel requirements, movie theaters, and curb ramp transition plans. Since 1994 he has been an expert witness for the Department of Justice on the ADA and for nearly a decade as an FHA expert witness for the DOJ's Housing & Civil Enforcement Section.

Marsha Mazz, Director, Office of Technical and Information Services, U.S. Access Board

Marsha K. Mazz is the Director of the Office of Technical and Information Services for the U.S. Access Board in Washington, DC. She has been with the board since 1989 and oversees the technical assistance programs for the ADA and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Her office is responsible for the continued development of the ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines, the Section 508 Standards for Accessible Information and Communications Technology, and the Standards for Accessible Medical and Diagnostic Equipment. Her office includes the Board's research, training and technical assistance programs and provides on-line guidance as well as toll-free and e-mail responses to questions about the Board's guidelines and standards. She is the Access Board's representative to the model code organizations and is a member of the ICC/ANSI A117 Committee on Architectural Features and Site Design of Public Buildings and Residential Structures for Persons with Disabilities; and the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Disability Access Review Advisory Committee (DARAC). Her prior experience includes service with a center for independent living, as a member of the Maryland State Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities, as a board member for the National Council on Independent Living and as chair of the Washington Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Transportation for People with Disabilities.

John Wodatch, Esq.

Former Chief of the Disability Rights Section, Department of Justice, Washington, DC

John Wodatch, Esq., former chief of the Disability Rights Section, Department of Justice, Washington, DC. John is a disability rights attorney who recently retired after 42 years of federal government service. He authored regulations implementing section 504 of the Rehab Act, was the Department of Justice’s chief technical expert during the writing and passage of the ADA, oversaw the development of DOJ’s 1991 ADA regulations, created DOJ’s initial ADA technical assistance programs, and assembled the department’s ADA enforcement staff. From 1990 until 2011 he served as the Director and Section Chief overseeing all interpretation, technical assistance, and enforcement of the ADA at DOJ. Just before he retired, he was responsible for the first major revision of the department's ADA regulations, including the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design. He is now serving clients as an expert in the application of the ADA's requirements for accessible design and program accessibility for state and local governments and private businesses. On the international level, John is continuing his work seeking U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He received a B.A. from Trinity College, an M.P.A. from Harvard University, and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law School.