“I believe that whatever we have should be made accessible from the ground up, so that anybody can use it. That not only includes our employees, but members of the public.”
Making technology accessible
From teaching classes to testing applications and assisting procurement officials, Mark’s contributions as United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Section 508 Program Manager have been varied and far-reaching.
Mark graduated with a degree in International Studies from Miami University in Ohio, immediately finding success in sales, training, and technical support of assistive technology. In 2006, he joined the USPTO as an accessibility and Section 508 subject matter expert contractor. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires information and communication technology to be accessible to individuals with disabilities by law. As a person with a disability himself, he is committed to supporting everyone’s ability to fully participate in the intellectual property (IP) ecosystem.
In his day-to-day work, Mark assists with procuring accessible information and technology resources for the agency, as well as oversees the accessibility of web applications and electronic content with development teams.
"My mother basically told me I could do whatever I wanted if I tried hard enough," Mark recalls. Having a disability hasn’t prevented him from having new experiences throughout his life, and getting technical assistance for being blind didn't mean giving up on his dreams. "You need to believe you can do whatever you want," he continued. "I’ve done things that I didn’t think I would ever be able to do."
This dovetails with Mark's technology background. As an avid user of assistive technology, his own experiences inform his approach to helping others learn about accessibility.
"A lot of the assistive technology that I recommend here, I use myself," he said. Mark provides his perspective to the agency's Abilities Project to bring attention to accessibility and IP education. In 2024, with fellow team members and members of ResponsAbility: USPTO Disability Advocates Voluntary Employee Organization (VEO), he attended the Department of Commerce’s inaugural National Disability Leadership Summit.
An education focus
“My favorite part of working at the USPTO is teaching people about accessibility and Section 508, so that they can learn how to create more accessible products and electronic content,” Mark says of his current work in the Office of the Chief Information Officer's (OCIO) Policy, Process, and Performance Division in the Information Technology Transformation Office.
As an ambassador on the USPTO Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Advisors and Ambassadors Council, Mark shows colleagues and community members how technology improves access.
He continually educates and learns from others. He's taught USPTO classes on creating accessible webpages and documents, and reviews materials and applications pre-deployment. He's worked on computer-based training, including one on Section 508.
Serving on the DEIA Council, Mark promotes incorporating accessibility into everything the USPTO does. "I believe that whatever we have should be made accessible from the ground up, so that anybody can use it. That not only includes our employees, but members of the public” like patent and trademark applicants. Otherwise, "you risk people not being able to use” a new product, he warns. "If you think of accessibility first, you don’t have to go back and fix things."
Service to others
Mark shows that accessibility can be fun. In his spare time, he's instructed patrons at Washington, D.C.'s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in using their own devices’ built-in accessibility features. "It’s something I still enjoy doing," he says. He notes that in recent years, major consumer technology companies "have embraced (such) technology as well, so now everybody can access accessibility (features) at the same point."
His volunteer resume also includes a multiyear stint as president of the Out of Sight Dragons team of blind and visually impaired dragon boat paddlers in the D.C. area. He raced with them between 2014 and 2019. He also enjoys trying new things, like axe throwing.
Future aspirations
With an aging national population, Mark explains that his role is more relevant now than ever. “As people age, we will end up with more people with disabilities, and they should have full access to our products and electronic content,” says Mark, adding that his career goals and hopes for the agency are connected.
“My future career goals are to continue to ensure that the USPTO remains Section 508 compliant and to improve our services and products for people with disabilities. I would also like to see the USPTO hire and retain more people with disabilities as part of our workforce, as that is a huge untapped resource.”