Professional Association Resources

American Foundation for the Blind
The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives.

American Institute of Architects
The AIA is a professional society of architects.

American Planning Association
The APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are organized to advance the art and science of planning and to foster the activity of planning -- physical, economic, and social -- at the local, regional, state, and national levels. The objective of the Association is to encourage planning that will contribute to public well-being by developing communities and environments that meet the needs of people and of society more effectively.

American Public Works Association
The APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge.

American Society of Civil Engineers
The Society endeavors to preserve the high ethical standards of the civil engineering profession.

American Society of Interior Designers
ASID is a professional society of interior designers.

American Society of Landscape Architects
ASLA is a professional society of landscape architects.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The organization promotes the art, science and practice of mechanical engineering throughout the world. ASME develops standards for elevators, among others.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 103,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists.  ASHA's mission is to ensure that all people with speech, language, and hearing disorders have access to quality services to help them communicate more effectively.

Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association
The association is comprised of manufacturers of all types of builders hardware products. BHMA collects proprietary statistics for member companies. But the association plays a much larger role in developing and publishing American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/BHMA standards for 25 different product areas. In addition, BHMA publishes four directories of certified products.

Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA)
BOMA is a trade association for building owners and managers.

Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)
CSI is a national professional association that provides technical information and products, continuing education, professional conferences, and product shows to enhance communication among all the nonresidential building design and construction industry's disciplines and meet the industry's need for a common system of organizing and presenting construction documents.

International Facility Management Association

National Institute of Building Sciences
NIBS is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established by the Congress to serve the public interest by promoting a more rational regulatory environment for the building community, by facilitating the introduction of new and innovative technology, and disseminating nationally recognized technical information.

National Society of Professional Engineers
NSPE represents licensed professional engineers (PEs) across all disciplines. Founded in 1934, NSPE promotes engineering licensure and ethics, advocating and protecting PEs' legal rights at the national and state levels, publishing news of the profession, providing continuing education opportunities, etc.. NSPE serves some 60,000 members through 54 state and territorial societies and more than 500 chapters.