About Michael P. Gibbens

Michael Patrick Gibbens, ACE, ACD, is a nationally recognized author, instructor and consultant on the interpretive and technical aspects of disabled accessibility compliance in commercial and residential applications for both public and private sectors. He has developed and presented over 160 seminars on compliance with State and Federal access laws and guidelines throughout the country and has more than 22 years experience as a disabled accessibility compliance consultant. In 1991, 6 months before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became enforceable, he had written the first nationally published manual for ADA compliance to facilitate facility assessments and barrier removals, and was facilitating training seminars across the country.

In California, he was the first to develop and publish compilations of the more stringent provisions between State and Federal accessibility mandates for the design and construction of Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities (Federal ADA/State Title 24 standards) and multifamily residential projects (Federal FHAA/State HCD standards) in 1991. Mr. Gibbens’ twelfth book on disabled accessibility compliance, the CalDAG 2003 (California Disabled Accessibility Guidebook) began national distribution in February 2003. The CalDAG is the only publication in existence that documents the most stringent requirements between the California State accessibility requirements and the ADA. The California Council of the American Institute of Architects (CCAIA) has recognized the CalDAG as the foremost subject source on combined state and federal disabled accessibility compliance in the State of California.

Mr. Gibbens’ expertise in the interpretation of the legal and technical provisions of disabled accessibility standards is regularly utilized by law firms for the resolution of complaints, allegations of non-compliance and law suits. He is experienced with both private sector and Department of Justice actions. When the very first complaint under the newly-enacted ADA was registered with the Department of Justice against the Empire State Building, Mr. Gibbens was contracted to consult on-site with the building’s architects and management to evaluate the complaint and work toward a resolution. Mr. Gibbens has also been approved by the State Bar of California to provide continuing legal education (MCLE) classes to attorneys on disabled access issues, and has been utilized by the federal Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to train their attorney’s and investigators on state/federal accessibility compliance. He has served as a founding member of the California Design Safety and Accessibility Advisory Board (State Access Board), having been appointed by the State Architect, and is the Chairman of the Accessibility Code Advisory Committee for the State Building Standards Commission. Mr. Gibbens is certified as an Accessibility/Usability Specialist by the International Conference of Building Officials, and is an Academy Certified Expert and Diplomate by the American Academy of Certified Consultants and Experts.

Mr. Gibbens has completed facility compliance audits on virtually every category of occupancy covered under Titles II and III of the ADA and has served clients with facilities in all 50 states. He maintains continual contact with the Department of Justice and Access Board in Washington D.C. to keep abreast of new developments and proposed changes in the laws and standards. He has both designed and constructed improvements for the retrofit of facilities to provide compliance with State and Federal accessibility mandates, and is a consultant to a broad range of private businesses and governmental agencies.