Named for the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the Brown award recognizes demonstrated leadership in promoting the important role of standardization in eliminating global barriers to trade. The award is presented at the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day, an annual event which honors the U.S. standardization and conformity assessment community and recognizes its efforts to promote American competitiveness in a global marketplace, safeguard the environment, and improve the quality of life for workers and consumers around the world. The theme for this year's event, Standards for Accessibility, will recognize the critical role of model codes, standards, and conformity assessment activities in developing and maintaining the built environment, products, technologies, and systems that are accessible for persons with special needs.
Ms. Mazz was nominated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for her outstanding contributions to the use of standardization to improve access for persons with disabilities to structures worldwide, including office buildings, stadia, train and subway stations, cruise ships, recreational vehicles, manufactured housing, airport terminals, and courthouses. At the U.S. Access Board she is responsible for the continued development of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines, overseeing the technical assistance program for the ADA and the Architectural Barriers Act (ADA-ABA), and representing the Access Board to the model code organizations.
She has been a key catalyst of the intensive work over the last two decades to coordinate and harmonize federal criteria for accessibility. This has resulted in a largely harmonized group of rules among the ADA-ABA; federal fair housing guidelines; the International Building Code; NFPA 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code; and ICC/ANSI A117.1, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. The strength of this cooperative effort has made today's impactful and far-reaching accessibility solutions possible, allowing the greatest number of people to enjoy many aspects of everyday life that may otherwise be unmanageable.
Celebrated annually, World Standards Day pays tribute to the thousands of volunteers around the world who participate in standardization activities, and helps to raise awareness of the role that standards play in addressing national and global priorities. The event has been celebrated since 1970 and is recognized in nations around the globe. U.S. activities are organized annually by a planning committee consisting of representatives from across the standards and conformity assessment community. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) co-chair the event each year. NFPA serves as the 2010 administrating organization.
More information about the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day 2010, Standards for Accessibility, is available at www.wsd-us.org.