President Barack Obama has named Regina Blye of Austin, Texas to the U.S. Access Board. Blye is the Executive Director of the Texas State Independent Living Council (SILC) and currently serves as Chair of SILC Congress, a national group dedicated to improving the effectiveness of SILCs. She is also Vice-Chair of the Texas Disability Policy Consortium, a collection of organizations working together to advance the rights of Texans with disabilities, and serves as a board member for the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, a grassroots advocacy organization. Blye graduated from West Texas A&M University and has a degree in mass communications with a focus on broadcasting and public relations. She succeeds Access Board Member Douglas Anderson of Wheaton, Illinois.
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.