SOUTH PORTLAND – President George Bush recently announced the appointment of Denis Pratt of Kennebunk to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board).

A Lewiston native, Pratt is currently an Architect and Accessibility Specialist with Alpha One, an independent living center based in South Portland.

A graduate of St. Dominic High School, he was very active locally with the Jaycees, the Lewiston-Auburn Development Corporation, and other civic organizations.

Pratt graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1972 and is a former employee of Harriman Associates of Auburn. He has more than 20 years of experience working with accessible and universal design.

The Access Board is an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. It operates with approximately 30 staff and a governing board of representatives from federal departments and public members who are appointed by the president.

Pratt attended his first meeting of the Access Board in March when he was sworn in; he serves on a number of technical committees. The board meets six times each year; usually in Washington, D.C. In his past 12 years at Alpha One, Pratt has been involved in hundreds of access-related consultations, projects and presentations.