Biography

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Mike Paciello, founder and president of The Paciello Group (TPG) (www.paciellogroup.com), is an internationally recognized expert in the development of accessibility standards. In 1997, Mike received recognition for creating the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) from Tim Berners-Lee on behalf of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and from President William Clinton on behalf of the White House. In 1999, he received recognition from the U.S. Access Board for his "Outstanding Contribution" in the development of the Section 508 standards for electronic and information technology. Mike is co-founder of the International Committee for Accessible Document Design (ICADD) and a former member of the FCC Telecommunications Act Advisory Committee (TAAC), which developed the standards for Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act. He served as Chief Accessibility Consultant to the Telecommunication Industries Association (TIA) and the Electronic Industries Foundation (EIF). Mike's book, Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities, published by CMP Books, was an industry first. Mike's current schedule includes serving on advisory and standards committees for governments, universities, and international organizations; contributing articles to technical journals; and speaking at conferences worldwide. The Paciello Group is dedicated to stimulating education, research, and development of technologies that ensure equality of access to information for all people. Mike Paciello has recently been appointed co-chair of the Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee for the project to update and revise the Section 508 standards and the Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines.