United Spinal Association, a national disability rights organization, has been awarded a $99,643 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for accessibility education programs targeting residential building developers, architects, city planners, and other designers specializing in residential structures. The award is the first federal grant that United Spinal has received in their 60-year history advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities.

The funds are part of HUD’s Annual SuperNofa (Notice of Federal Assistance) Grant Program and are administered under the auspices of the agency’s Fair Housing Initiative Program. United Spinal will be working in conjunction with the International Code Council and will use the funds to expand the reach of its Accessibility Services program, which conducts educational seminars nationwide. United Spinal applied for the grant in June, 2005 and HUD will disperse the funds periodically during 2006.

“We’re delighted and honored to have received this grant,” said United Spinal’s Program Counsel Kleo King. “We look forward to educating more developers on the importance of creating accessible housing.”

Through its Accessibility Services program, United Spinal Association shares 60 years of experience in making the built environment fully accessible to all citizens with mobility disabilities. The Accessibility Services Program has provided expert advice and consultation for a wide variety of projects such as the new Yankee Stadium, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Airport Expansion, the American Institute of Architects in North Carolina, the City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority, the Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Tennis Association’s National Tennis Center and the City of Aspen, Colorado. They have trained thousands of design professionals nationwide and play a prominent role in crafting landmark legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information about United Spinal’s Accessibility Services please visit http://www.accessibility-services.com or call 1-800-404-2898.