U.S. Access Board Mourns Passing of Senior Compliance Specialist Mario Damiani

With deep sorrow, the U.S. Access Board announces the passing of staff member Mario Damiani, who had served at the agency since 2014. As a Senior Compliance Specialist in the Office of General Counsel, Mario investigated complaints filed under the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA). The law requires that facilities designed, built, altered, or leased with federal funds be accessible. The Access Board is responsible for enforcing the ABA, and Mario played a lead role through making legal determinations on jurisdiction and applicable standards and working with agencies to ensure that violations were remediated through corrective action.

Mario passed away on Sunday, March 9, 2025. Regarding his passing, Board Executive Director Sachin Pavithran remarked, “For over a decade, Mario helped to make the United States a more accessible nation through his work at the Access Board. I had the privilege of working with Mario as a Public Member of the Board and also as the Executive Director. During this time, he collaborated with agencies, Congressional offices, and others to help remove accessibility barriers from federal facilities — opening the doors to people with disabilities all across the country. He was very passionate and driven to ensure equal rights for people with disabilities. Mario will be greatly missed by everyone at the Board.”

Chris Kuczynski, the Board’s General Counsel, oversees the agency’s ABA Enforcement Program and worked closely with Mario. “It is hard to overstate Mario’s role at the agency,” Kuczynski remarked. “He led the charge in our enforcement of the ABA, and Mario’s incredible commitment can be seen in the many post offices, VA medical centers, national parks, and other federal facilities that he helped make accessible to countless Americans with disabilities.”

Prior to joining the Access Board, Mario already had an extensive career in law and disability policy. He served as a Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), an Attorney-Advisor at the District of Columbia Department of Health, a law clerk at the District of Columbia Office of Bar Counsel, and a law clerk for the Senior Judges of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Mario graduated from The Catholic University of America, where he received both his J.D. and B.A. in Politics. Additionally, Mario graduated summa cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Mario brought his incredible legal knowledge and accessibility expertise to the Access Board. Every day, he worked to help make the nation more fair and accessible to the millions of Americans with disabilities. Mario will be dearly missed by all his friends and colleagues at the agency. The Access Board sends its condolences to his wife Theresa and their daughters, and to all their family and friends.

Join the U.S. Access Board on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, from 3:00 – 4:30 pm (ET), for a memorial event in honor of Mario’s contributions to the disability community. Attendees are invited to share their memories of Mario. The memorial event will be held in-person at the Access Board’s conference room at 1331 F Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004. Please email events@access-board.gov with any questions.

Read Mario’s obituary shared by his family.