Biography

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Brian D. Black is President of BDBlack & Associates in Hamburg New York and has been the Code and Safety Consultant for the National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) since 2007. A member of the ASME A17 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators Standards, Hoistway, Emergency Operations, Outdoor Evacuation Elevators and Code Coordination Committees and the ASME Qualification of Elevator Inspectors Committee, Black resumes his work on elevator codes that first began in the 1990s when he served on the ASME A17 Standards Committee and shepherded the creation of Limited-Use/Limited Applications as Chairman of that A17 Committee. Prior to starting his own consulting firm, Black worked for over thirty years in the field of accessibility for persons with disabilities, including serving as the Director of Building Codes and Standards for the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association. Appointed to the federal ADAAG Advisory Committee that drafted the 2004 ADAAG requirements for the US Access Board, he chaired its Accessible Route Subcommittee and was awarded a National Performance Review Award by then-Vice President Al Gore for his efforts. Black has also testified before the US Congress on the efficacy of building codes to promote accessibility for persons with disabilities and served on an ISO committee that developed international standards for accessible elevator controls. A member of the International Code Council (ICC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Canadian Standards Association and other code organizations, he continues his work on elevators and accessibility as the NEII representative on the ANSI Accredited Standards Committee A117 for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. Black is the author of three books: 2006 I-Codes and Federal Disability Law: Through an Accessible Looking Glass, ADA and Building Transportation, and Accessibility in State-Owned Buildings and Facilities as well as numerous articles on accessibility, vertical building transportation for persons with disabilities, and life safety requirements for mobility impaired persons.