Accessibility Services is devoted exclusively to making our built environment accessible to people with disabilities. It is the cutting edge of United Spinal Association’s commitment to guaranteeing the civil rights of all citizens to fully participate in our culture and our society. We helped write the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986; we are active participants in writing building codes at the local, state, and federal level; and we helped make New York, the largest city in the country, provide fully accessible buses and subways and cut every curb in all five boroughs to allow wheelchair access––an achievement that inspired dozens of other municipalities to follow suit.

We provide training on the state and federal accessibility requirements that we help to develop to more then 4,000 design professionals and code enforcement officials around the country on an annual basis; we have consulted on projects as varied as the Philadelphia Airport and the new Yankee Stadium; and we are certified in code enforcement and as Accessibility Specialists/Plans Examiners.

With decades of experience, Accessibility Services can help you untangle the often conflicting requirements of aesthetics and accessibility, keep you up to speed on changes and revisions in building codes at all levels, and provide innovative solutions to accessibility at any type of facility. Whether it’s an apartment building, a commercial skyscraper, a concert hall, sports arena, airport, or transportation hub, we can help ensure that it is fully accessible to people with disabilities without sacrificing the integrity of your design.

Dominic Marinelli is the Director of Accessibility Services and heads a multi-talented staff of code officials and design professionals.

Dominic’s primary responsibilities include: Directing United Spinal’s Professional Accessibility Training program that provides accredited training and technical assistance on the latest state and federal accessibility requirements to more then 4000 design professionals and code enforcement officials on an annual basis throughout the country; implementing the organization’s Code Enforcement program which is designed to ensure compliance with applicable accessibility standards to benefit United Spinal’s membership, which is comprised of individuals with spinal cord injuries or disease; representing the needs of people with disabilities on city, state and national building code and standard development committees including the International Codes Council’s ANSI A117.1 Residential Task Force and Harmonization Committee; developing new Accessibility Services consulting initiative aimed at providing the organization’s experience in accessibility requirements and barrier-free design to national clientele including the New York Yankees (new Yankee Stadium), the Newark Arena (New Jersey Devils), the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and PepsiCo. He has been with the organization since 1988.

In addition to his design skills, Carlos Rivera provides United Spinal with a vital credential when it comes to getting things done in a city the size of New York: He’s an official “expediter” at the New York City Department of Buildings. An expediter possesses specialized knowledge of the city’s bureaucracy, which streamlines the process of acquiring construction permits.

As a designer, Carlos analyzes and recommends ways to improve accessibility at residential and commercial facilities. He scrutinizes plan reviews for the US Army Corps of Engineers and for private and institutional facilities to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines and other accessibility codes. He also conducts on-site accessibility surveys for various agencies, architectural firms and organizations, while staying alert to changes in federal, state and local accessibility standards and interpreting the codes to provide consultation to professionals.

Carlos is an International Code Council Certified Accessibility Inspector/Plan Examiner and he holds a Bachelors degree in Interior Design from Inuniversitas, Bogotá, Colombia and completed architecture programs at Parsons School of Design and Queens College. He has been with United Spinal since 1998.

John Rooney has been certified as an Accessibility and Usability Specialist by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) as well as a certified code enforcement official in New York State. He is also a certified ICC Accessibility Specialist/Plans Examiner.

His duties include promoting physical and programmatic accessibility by training design professionals, code enforcement officials and other interested parties. He also works with various public and private entities, educating them about their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. John provides technical assistance to design professionals and building officials over the phone, in the field and through our Accessibility Requirements Web Forum and in representing United Spinal on national building codes and standards development committees.

He is also a certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and holds a Master’s degree in Counselor Education from Canisius College. Prior to joining United Spinal Rooney had 10 years experience as a mental health counselor. He has been with United Spinal since 1998.

Jennifer Perry has provided continuing education to members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chapters in Philadelphia, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Maryland, Illinois and New Jersey. In addition, Jennifer is certified by Pennsylvania’s Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) to provide instruction on accessibility requirements to Code Enforcement Officials in the Commonwealth.

A certified Accessibility Specialist/Plans Examiner by the International Code Council and a registered provider of Continuing Education by the American Institute of Architects, Jennifer holds a BA in Political Science and French from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She works out of the Philadelphia area and has been with United Spinal Association since 1998.

Linda M. Stango, AIA, a New York State registered architect, has over 24 years of professional experience. Most recently she served as Commissioner of Community Development for the City of Rochester. Her responsibilities included the management of 100 employees and oversight of the operational budget for the Building and Zoning, Housing and Project Development, Planning, and Neighborhood Initiative bureaus. Additionally she served as arbiter of the City building and zoning codes and administrator of the federally funded Community Development Block Grant. She chaired a committee that developed an “Aging in Place” program for the Rochester Community.

Ms. Stango worked for the City of Rochester for a total of 19 years in progressively more responsible positions including Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner/Director of Buildings and Zoning, and Manager of Plan Review and Building Inspections. During this time she was responsible for the issuance of building and plumbing permits and performed numerous plan reviews. She negotiated the expansion of intergovernmental agreements for City services and acted as a liaison to other local and state level entities on code related manners

Since 1988 she has been a registered architect who is active in her profession, having served as a president of the Rochester Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Chairperson of the Building Official and Code Administrator’s (BOCA) national convention, member of the BOCA Evaluation Services Technical Committee and the NYS Department of State Technical Subcommittee for the adoption of the International Building Code. Ms. Stango has also presented numerous building code education seminars at the annual Finger Lakes Building Officials Association education seminar and at the New York State Association of Architects convention. She has been a certified NYS Code Enforcement Official for 18 years.

She has a detailed understanding of the nature of interdisciplinary collaboration that enables her to seek out creative solutions to building code issues. Ms. Stango holds a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree and a Master’s degree in architecture from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

As Program Counsel for United Spinal Association, Kleo J. King specializes in disability law, primarily in the areas of housing, air transportation, and reasonable accommodation cases. She is also responsible for United Spinal’s travel program, ABLE to Travel, and oversees Accessibility Services, staffed by code officials and design professionals.

Kleo was recently appointed to the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board’s Advisory Committee on Access to Courthouses. A 1987 graduate of George Mason University School of Law, Kleo is a member of both the Virginia and New York State Bar Associations. She has served as vice-chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Delivery of Legal Services to the Disabled and as a member of the committee’s Planning Board. She has also served on the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Legal Issues Affecting People with Disabilities and was chairperson from 1997 until June 2000.

Kleo was principal author of a number of popular United Spinal publications, including Accessible Air Travel, Know your Fair Housing Rights, and a “quick reference” card for air travel. King has also contributed to Americans with Disabilities Practice and Compliance Manual, Representing People with Disabilities, published by the New York State Bar Association; Rights of People with Disabilities, published by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York; and Representing the Elderly Client of Modest Means, compiled by the Practicing Law Institute. She has been with the organization since 1987.