Biography

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Ms. Blechman joined the Access Board in September 1997, as a Compliance Specialist, where she determines compliance with and enforces accessibility for Federal facilities under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). She is responsible for reviewing complaints filed against facilities of the U.S. Postal Service. Specifically, she has reviewed complaints filed against U.S. Post Offices and Processing and Distribution Centers. In addition, she is a member of the Access Board's Emergency Evacuation Committee which recently revised the Board's Emergency Evacuation Plan. Further, she is the contact person from questions concerning that plan. Her previous work includes seven years as an Education Specialist with the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. While at the Smithsonian, she studied American Sign Language at Gallaudet University and learned about Deaf Culture. As an Education Specialist, she worked to make the programs at the museum accessible to people with disabilities. She also wrote grants which funded the open captioning of the museum's loan videotapes and the installation of an FM assistive listening system in the museum's auditorium. In addition, she helped to establish an informal museum accessibility network among the Smithsonian and Washington Metropolitan area museums which met monthly to share experience and expertise on accessibility. Further, she worked with the American Association of Museums committee on accessibility funded by a Department of Justice grant to produce a workbook on accessibility in small and medium-sized museums. Also, she taught two undergraduate course on museology as an adjunct professor at Gallaudet University.