About the Presenter

Ray Bloomer, Director of Education and Technical Assistance

Ray Bloomer is the Director of Education and Technical Assistance. Ray has served as a Park Ranger/Interpreter at Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia, Accessibility Coordinator at Boston National Historic Park, Regional Access Coordinator for the NPS North Atlantic Regional Office and Chief of Visitor Services and Interpretation at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. While working as the Regional Accessibility Specialist, Ray was actively involved from 1983 to 1992 with the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Restoration Project. Following the project, he was presented with a Special Achievement Award from the Disabled American Veterans, for the successful accessibility efforts at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Ray has received numerous awards from the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service including the Secretary of the Department of the Interior's Equal Opportunity Award for continued efforts towards increasing opportunities for employees and visitors in the National Park Service. In 1992 Ray was detailed to the National Center on Accessibility and after three years the assignment was permanently duty stationed at NCA. He has served as a consultant to national projects including the Museum Task Force funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Most recently, Ray served on the US Access Board's Regulatory Negotiation Committee for Developed Outdoor Areas.

Jennifer Skulski, Director of Marketing & Special Projects

Jennifer Skulski is Director of Marketing and Special Projects for NCA. Over the last thirteen years, Jennifer has provided technical assistance and training to the private sector, state and local governments, advocates and consumers on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jennifer has previously served as the Director of Education for NCA and Associate Director for the Great Lakes Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center, one of the 10 centers (DBTAC's) throughout the United States, providing technical assistance and training on the ADA. Jennifer has diverse expertise in ADA employment regulations, Title 2 implementation, accessibility standards, universal design, access to playgrounds and outdoor recreation environments. She has also served as ADA Coordinator of the Rockford (Illinois) Park District. There, she trained park district staff on accessibility issues, assisted the municipality with prioritizing accessibility improvements, and facilitated the District's barrier removal citizens advisory committee. She has developed several distance learning programs through satellite, video conferencing, and web streaming. She has also developed staff training materials including an accessibility handbook, inclusion manual and resource guides for park and recreation professionals. Jennifer is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector and a member of the ASTM F0.8 Committee on Playground Surfaces. Jennifer is a graduate of Indiana University.