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.

Our Staff

Dominic Marinelli
Vice President, Accessibility Services

Dominic Marinelli has been with the United Spinal Association for 20 years and heads the organization’s Accessibility Services (ACS) team. ACS provides accredited training and technical assistance on the latest state and federal accessibility requirements to design professionals and code enforcement officials throughout the country. United Spinal’s Accessibility Services team provides consulting services that have been developed to provide the organization’s experience in accessibility requirements and barrier-free design to a national clientele.

Clients/Projects that Mr. Marinelli has worked for include:

• New York Yankees (new Yankee Stadium)
• New York Mets (Citi Field)
• Madison Square Garden
• Minnesota Twins (Target Field)
• Kansas City Wizards – The Trails Stadium
• PepsiCo (Frito-Lay, Tropicana, Gatorade, Quaker-Oats)
• Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP)
• Beacon Communities
• Wood Partners
• Alliance Residential
• World Trade Center Tower 2
• United Nations (North Lawn Conference Building)
• Rok Vegas – New York, New York Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
• The Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
• Hotel Indigo – Athens, Georgia
• New York State Theater – Lincoln Center Redevelopment
• Alice Tully Hall – Lincoln Center Redevelopment
• University of Pennsylvania – Center for Advanced Medicine West Research Tower

Code Development

• Voting member National Accessibility Standard’s ANSI A117.1 (Chair – Residential Committee)
• Develop, streamline Accessibility Requirements within International Building Code (IBC) International Existing Building Code (IEBC)

Training

• Provider (longest tenured) of continuing education for the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
• Contract Instructor – International Codes Council (ICC)
• Adjunct Faculty Member at Pratt’s Center for Continuing & Professional Studies in NY, NY

Mr. Marinelli holds a Masters of Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
He is a certified in code enforcement by the New York State Department of State Codes Division and as an Accessibility Specialist/Plans Examiner by the International Codes Council (ICC). He is an accredited provider of continuing education with the International Codes Council (ICC) the Society of American Registered Architects (SARA) and by a variety of building official organizations throughout the country.

Jimmy J. Zuehl
Architectural Specialist
Accessibility Services

Jimmy J. Zuehl has been working in the field of architecture for over 10 years. He has been active in the process of architecture throughout his career and has seen the completion of numerous projects including projects in New York City. His experience ranges from single family custom residential homes to unique mixed use large scale suburban and urban complexes.

As our Architectural Specialist, Mr. Zuehl brings important expertise and knowledge about the process of architecture including design, architectural documentation, and construction administration. He is also proficient in AutoCAD versions 14 to 2009.

His duties at United Spinal Association include accessibility training, technical assistance, plan review, site assessment, accessibility design, and code development.

Mr. Zuehl has a Bachelor of Architecture from the San Diego New School of Architecture and Design. He also holds a minor in Urban Studies.

Carlos A. Rivera
Senior Designer
Accessibility Services

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.

Craig Maniscalco
Architecture Specialist

Craig Maniscalco has been active in the process of architecture throughout his career. His latest success was seeing the completion of the New York Mets new ballpark, Citi Field. His work with Populous (formerly HOK Sport) included review of the as built conditions to ensure compliance with the architectural drawings and applicable codes.

As an Architectural Specialist, Mr. Maniscalco brings important expertise and knowledge about the process of architecture including design, architectural documentation and construction administration. He is proficient in AutoCAD.

His duties at United Spinal Association include plan review, site assessments, accessibility design, accessibility training, technical assistance, and code development.

Mr. Maniscalco has a Bachelor of Architecture from the New York City College of Technology. He has won design awards including the 2007 SARA New York Design Award of Excellence for his work on the Brooklyn Ladder Company facility.

Jennifer L. Perry
Compliance Specialist
Accessibility Services

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.

Timothy P. Casamento
New York State Licensed Professional Engineer

Mr. Casamento has over 26 years of professional experience. In 1998 he formed Ahern Contractors, Structural Steel Group and was responsible for all estimating, engineering, and project management for steel rehabilitation work. Mr. Casamento established his own consulting business in 2003. He acts as an engineering consultant on various steel rehabilitation projects, and residential design projects.

Mr. Casamento is an active member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Institute of Steel Construction, American Society of Civil Engineers, and a life member of Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society.

As our structural engineer, Mr. Casamento brings expertise and knowledge about the building process, including estimating costs and providing engineered solutions for issues identified in existing structures. Mr. Casamento’s background is diverse, as he has worked on the following projects:

• A $45 million Rehabilitation of the Jamaica Line Viaduct and Replacement of five elevated stations, including complete demolition and construction of the five stations to incorporate accessibility features, including raising platforms to create level entry boarding, adding tactile warning strips along platform edges, adding accessible bathroom facilities. Adding ADA compliant railings. The work also included replacement of eighty structural steel track girder top flanges, and miscellaneous steel and concrete repairs for the New York City Transit Authority,
• A $12 million Rehabilitation of the Culver Line track, including repair and replacement of steel elements on the track levels for the New York City Transit Authority,
• Consulted on design for split pedestrian bridge spanning the Cross Island parkway to incorporate code compliant ramps,
• Reviewed documentation and created recommendations for Williamsburg Bridge’s walkway to make the expansion joints safe and accessible to pedestrians, wheelchair users, and bicyclists,
• Created jacking system and structural supports for renovation of Hunter College’s Roosevelt House, and
• Consulted on steel erection for newly constructed and renovated hospitals and schools throughout New York City.

Mr. Casamento received a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Clarkson College of Technology in 1982.

Kleo J. King
Senior Vice President, Accessibility Services

Kleo King has worked in the accessibility field for over twenty years as a legal advisor and attorney primarily in the areas of housing, transportation and access to public accommodations. She is also active in the regulatory process involving the rights of people with disabilities.

Ms. King served as the 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 also was an active member of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Legal Issues Affecting People with Disabilities and was the chairperson from July 1997 until June 2000. Ms. King served as a member of the United States Access Board’s Courthouse Access Advisory Committee from November 2004 – November 2006.

Representative assignments on which Ms. King has worked include:

• Working with Moynihan Station Development Corporation on the accessibility requirements of the American with Disabilities Act and local building codes for access to train platforms and the station,
• Ensuring that Lincoln Center’s new Jazz at Lincoln Center venue and its existing campus, including Alice Tully Hall, the Film Society, and the Josie Robinson Plaza complied with the Americans with Disabilities Act and local building code requirements,
• Reviewing PepsiCo facilities for usability for people with disabilities,
• Working with the New York City Housing Authority to ensure that is was providing the housing to individuals with disabilities pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Fair Housing Amendments Act,
• Provides training on Fair Housing Amendments Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Air Carrier Access Act, and the Rehabilitation Act, and
• Provides a legal perspective to facilities wishing to comply with access laws and civil rights issues concerning people with disabilities.

Prior to Joining Accessibility Services division of United Spinal in 2004, Kleo worked in the organization’s General Counsels Office, where as Program Counsel she advocated for the civil rights of individuals with disabilities and worked on creating and implementing legislation that improved the lives of such individuals.

Ms. King received her law degree from George Mason University School of Law and is admitted to the Virginia and New York State Bars. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and the Virginia Bar Association. She has contributed to several publications, including the Lawyers Cooperative Publishing’s Americans with Disabilities Practice and Compliance Manual; Representing People with Disabilities, published by the New York State Bar Association; and Rights of People with Disabilities, published by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.