The Obama administration has appointed a blind Indian-American to a key administrative post in an independent US agency devoted for people with disabilities.

Sachin Dev Pavithran has been appointed as Member, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, the White House said, as it announced several other key administration appointments.

“These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles and I am proud to have them serve in this Administration. I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come,” Obama said in a statement.

Pavithran is Programme Director of the Utah Assistive Technology Programme at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities, a position he has held since 2011.

Before serving as Programme Director, he served in a variety of other roles at the centre, including Programme Coordinator and Disability Policy Analyst, since joining in 2002.

Pavithran has more than 12 years of experience as a consultant on disability police and developing and training users of assistive technology and accessible Web sites.

He serves on the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programmes National Board, the Utah State Rehabilitation Council, the Research and Development Committee of the National Federation of the Blind, and the National Multicultural Council of the Association of University Centers for Disabilities.

In 2007, the National Federation of the Blind awarded him the Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship. He received a B.A, B.S, and an M.S from Utah State University.

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