President Barack Obama has named Christopher Stephen Hart of Boston to the U.S. Access Board. Hart is the Director of Urban and Transportation Projects for the Institute for Human Centered Design, an international nonprofit organization in Boston that promotes accessibility and universal design. He also serves as an appointed member of the Governor’s Transportation Advisory Reform Committee and the National Steering Committee for Project ACTION, a national organization dedicated to promoting universal access to transportation for people with disabilities. In addition, Hart served as a consultant on transportation issues for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Boston’s disability community and is a board member for the Livable Streets Alliance and the Disability Law Center. Hart succeeds Access Board Member Ronald J. Gardner of Bountiful, Utah.
The Access Board is an independent Federal agency that provides leadership in accessible design under the ADA and other laws. Its governing Board is structured to function as a coordinating body among Federal agencies and to directly represent the public, particularly people with disabilities. The Board is comprised of 13 members from the public appointed by the President and representatives from 12 Federal departments.