President Obama Names Members to the U.S. Access Board: Patrick Cannon, Howard Rosenblum, Deborah Ryan

President Barack Obama named Patrick D. Cannon to the U.S. Access Board and reappointed Board members Howard A. Rosenblum and Deborah A. Ryan. "I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country," the President stated in announcing the appointments, "I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead."

Patrick Cannon of Lansing, Michigan was State Director of the Michigan Commission for the Blind from 1997 to 2012. He was also President of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind and served as Director of the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns for 10 years. He has served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Capital Area Transportation Authority since 1991 and was a member of the National Rehabilitation Association, the Council of State Administrators in Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Executive Board of the President's Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities. Cannon previously served as a member of the Access Board from 1995 to 2003, including a term as its Chair. He succeeds John G. Box of Norco, California.

Howard Rosenblum, who joined the Board in 2010, is Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) in Silver Spring, Maryland, a leading civil rights organization of, by and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Previously, he was an attorney at Equip for Equality, the designated Protection and Advocacy entity in Illinois from 2002 to 2011. He was an attorney at the firm of Monahan and Cohen in Chicago from 1992 to 2002, and a Civil Rights Enforcement Advocate at Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago from 1992 to 1993. Rosenblum is the co-founder and former Chairperson of the Midwest Center on Law.

Deborah Ryan of Boston, who was first appointed to the Board by President Obama in 2011, is the founder and Director of Deborah A. Ryan & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in ensuring compliance with state and federal accessibility requirements. Before creating her firm in 2002, Ryan served for over 25 years at the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, including 15 years as its Executive Director. The MAAB develops and enforces state requirements for accessible buildings and facilities. She is also a member of the Boston Society of Architects Access Committee.

The United States 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.