US Access Institute

I invited Doug to speak to my class on the Principles and Practices of Assistive Technology here at MIT. Doug is an expert in the field of accessibility and his knowledge gave my class valuable insight and understanding in the world of accessibility. His interaction with the class provided them with some thought provoking concepts and unique situations concerning some of the challenges that need to be faced in providing accessible features and technology. He also spoke on the differing levels of accessibility. Doug left a very positive influence on my class!

Doug Stawarski is a long standing and well-respected member of the building community; and he is also a breath of fresh air for the Building Safety and Building Accessibility industries. He has an incredible work history and a work ethic that is unmatched. Doug has an impressive educational background and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Accessibility and Building Codes. Doug was not only a co-worker of mine for several years, but he was also a mentor to me throughout my career. Doug has a great ability to make difficult subjects easy to understand and easy to retain. Doug has spent his career improving our industry and continues to do so on a daily basis.

I have known Doug for many years, beginning when I hired him as our Building Official in Texas many years ago. You will not find a more genuine, passionate, caring, trustworthy, or collaborative spirited individual anywhere…period. Doug doesn’t just take on a project with normal speed or compassion. No, he runs with high optimism and unrelenting enthusiasm, creating milestones and goals to complete the task with precision, on-time, under budget, and ultimately with the highest degree of perfection. I was very excited to learn that Doug had started up the US Access Institute, LLC., and was (not surprisingly) seeking to help others with this much needed resource. Accessibility waters are not easy to navigate and can present a lot of challenges for those unfamiliar with the regulations and applicable codes and standards. Douglas Stawarski can help in ways that you would have never thought possible. Our industry needs this type of resource, and I am very glad that it is in his wheelhouse.

Doug Stawarski is a consummate professional in the arena of Building Safety and has demonstrated an impeccable degree of passion and knowledge in all aspects of Accessibility. I have worked under the tutelage of Doug as a Building Inspector and Plans Examiner. I can confidently express that he is an inspirational leader and teacher. He has provided me the tools and encouragement for professional growth; and has consistently been a valuable resource for education and understanding of the vast depths of code requirements. He provides a straight-forward and comprehensive method of instruction that is advantageous to anyone willing to engage in his curriculum.

I persevered through the closed-book test multiple times before finally passing. While I had taken other courses prior to this training, none provided the clarity on all the sections that the US Access Institute offered. The US Access Institute was instrumental in helping me conquer the last hurdle of the closed portion of the CASp. I will continue to utilize their resources to empower my understanding of the regulations in my role as the Building Official for The City of Bakersfield. Thank you for your invaluable support in achieving my goal.