Our Experts
Brian Rogers, Community Accessibility Program Coordinator
Brian Rogers joined LVCIL in 2014 as the Community Accessibility Program Coordinator. He has nearly 25 years of experience in civil engineering, and more than 15 years of experience with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and accessibility. Brian earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering Technology from Penn College of Technology in Williamsport, PA. He worked as a surveyor and engineer for various firms including Ezra Golub & Associates, Showalter & Associates, and Medina Consultants. Brian also taught children with disabilities and terminal illnesses at Camp Sunshine in Maine for more than 15 years. He returned to school in 2009 and received a bachelor’s degree in education from Bloomsburg University. He has been trained by Mark Derry of Eastlake Derry & Associates on how to effectively conduct ADA site surveys.
Bob Amelio, Accessibility Support Coordinator
Bob Amelio has nearly 30 years’ life experience living with a mobility disability, and this gives him a unique perspective when conducting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) site surveys. Bob joined LVCIL in 2001 as a Community Support Coordinator. In this role, he handled many ADA complaints related to housing and parking for the City of Allentown. Bob also served as an accessibility expert on various LVCIL initiatives, including a grant to improve access at festivals in the Lehigh Valley. He has received extensive training from Mark Derry of Eastlake Derry & Associates on how to effectively conduct ADA site surveys. Bob assumed his role as Accessibility Support Coordinator in 2012.
In addition, Bob is the founder of LVCIL’s Freewheelers sports team. He has played various adaptive sports for more than 25 years, including wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, and adaptive kayaking.
AccessCheck Team Experience
Together, Brian and Bob have completed more than 70 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) site surveys throughout Pennsylvania. The team has surveyed facilities including: government buildings, universities, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, churches, businesses, nonprofit organizations, art galleries, local, county, and state parks, public pools, outdoor recreation areas, and trail networks.
Brian and Bob currently serve as ADA and accessibility experts for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). They serve on DCNR’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan and Technical Advisory Committees. Brian and Bob have also started the Penn’s Woods for All Committee to ensure that state parks across Pennsylvania follow ADA and other applicable regulations.
Brian and Bob are members of the Mid-Atlantic ADA training network and have conducted more than 60 trainings on numerous topics including disability sensitivity, simple solutions to improve access for business owners, accessible trail design, and more. They have presented at the Eastern PA Greenways and Trails Summit, PA Environmental Education Conference, PA Land Trust Association Conference, and Lehigh Valley Health Network’s MS Symposium. Also, Brian and Bob have trained the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission inspectors on disability sensitivity, ADA Title II and III, the ABA, HUD housing regulations, and proper ADA survey techniques.
The AccessCheck team has also been involved in several award-winning projects. Brian and Bob served on the design team for Hawk Mountain Sanctuary’s accessible trail project in Kempton, PA. The fully accessible trail opened on July 26, 2015 in celebration of the ADA’s 25th anniversary, and this trail won the 2017 National Trails Award for Trail Accessibility. The team also partnered with the City of Allentown’s Parks and Recreation Department to host the annual “Fishing & Fun in the Park” inclusive event. In 2018, the event received an Excellence in Recreation and Parks Award from the Pennsylvania Recreations and Parks Society (PRPS).
Service Dog, "Bear" - retired member of the AccessCheck Team.
