Customer Advisory Board on Disabilities

Delta’s Customer Advisory Board on Disability promotes accessibility for all our customers by providing leadership in achieving our sustainable goal: making Delta, carrier of choice for customers with disabilities in all aspects of our business.

Mission Statement:

“Making Delta, carrier of choice for customers through operational excellence, “second mile” service and building emotional connections with the disability community.”

Shanti Aaron
Lydia Graber
J. R. Harding, Ph.D
Michael Harris
Mark Johnson
Patrick Maher
David Nelson
Margaret Schuster
Jay Stiteley
Glen W. White, Ph.D
Al Kaufman

Shanti Aaron

Georgia Department of Labor
Atlanta, Georgia
Shanti Aaron is the Social Security programs manager for Georgia Department of Labor Vocational Rehabilitation Services. She holds a MS degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Vocational Rehabilitation, as well as post graduate certification in Management. She has worked in all facets of Vocational Rehabilitation for twenty plus years. Ms. Aaron has served on a variety of Boards and Committees as an advocate for persons with disabilities. She currently resides in Atlanta.

Lydia Graber

Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns (MCDC)
Lansing, Michigan
Ms. Graber has served as a board member since April 2002. She has been a member of the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns since 1993 and served as chair from 1996 to 2003. MCDC has twenty-one governor appointed commissioners who serve in an advisory capacity and provide the perspectives of people with disabilities, the business community, and professional service providers. She resides in Belleville, Michigan.

J. R. Harding, Ph.D

Florida Department of Education
Tallahassee, Flroida
JR Harding received his doctorate in education from Florida State University. He is a nationally recognized disability expert on ADA regulations, work, transportation and independent living. He is the external affairs manager for the Florida Agency of Persons with Disabilities currently serves on the US Access Board (two-time presidential appointee), Chairman of the Commission for Transportation Disadvantage and Vice Chairman of the Gov.'s Commission on Disabilities. He has extensive rulemaking experience with both the federal and state governments regarding disability policy. He is recognized as the first person with a significant disability (quadriplegia) to graduate from Leadership Florida and Leadership Tallahassee. He co-founded the Florida Disability Mentoring Day initiative. He frequently volunteers for the Big Bend Business leadership network and the various leadership programs throughout the city and state.

Michael Harris

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) - Michigan
Novi, Michigan
Michael F Harris is Executive Director of the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America. PVA members are honorably discharged veterans of the United States Armed Services who have incurred spinal cord injury or disease resulting in paralysis and are dependent upon the use of a wheelchair for mobility. He has served on the Customer Advisory Board at Northwest Airlines since 2001. He resides in Westland, Michigan.

Mark Johnson

Shepherd Center
Atlanta, Georgia
Mark Johnson is the Director of Advocacy at the Shepherd Center, a catastrophic care hospital in Atlanta. He identifies and researches disability rights issues, educates the staff and community to these issues and organizes self help networks to work on these issues. Mark is a founder of ADAPT, a national network of activists and has served on numerous boards and councils. In 2007, he received the Betts Award and was inducted into the National Spinal Cord Injury Association SCI Hall of Fame.

Patrick Maher

National Spinal Cord Injury Association
Chicago, Illinois
Patrick Maher is the President of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association's board of directors. As Managing Director for nAblement of SPR, an IT solutions firm, Pat develops opportunities for organizations to hire qualified IT professionals with disabilities for a wide range of IT support needs. He also serves on the Spinal Cord Leaders Council, Illinois Institute of Technology Rehab Psychology Advisory Board, Illinois Technology Foundation Advisory Board, and Abilitylinks Steering and Education committees, Pat resides in Westmont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

David Nelson

National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
Washington, DC
David Nelson is President of the DC Association of the Deaf and has been with NAD since 1978. He has received the organization's most prestigious award, the Fred C. Schreiber Distinguished Service Award. David is disability advocacy specialist at the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). He is responsible for providing accessibility information and outreach activities to the disability community. He holds a bachelor's degree from Rochester Institute of Technology as well as degrees from National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID) and Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. He resides in Washington, DC.

Margaret Schuster

Ventures Travel, LLC
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Ms. Schuster is President of Ventures Travel, LLC which provides educational and recreational vacation opportunities for people with developmental disabilities and others who benefit from supervised travel vacations. In addition, Ventures Travel, LLC provides support and respite for parents, families, and other care providers.

Jay Stiteley

The Seeing Eye
Morristown, NJ
Jay serves with "The Seeing Eye" staff in Morristown, NJ. as Associate Manager, directing field representatives. He speaks throughout the United States and Canada, about the program, policies, and working philosophy of The Seeing eye.  Jay was the Director of the National Technology Program for the American Foundation for the Blind for three years assisting education and rehabilitation professionals in the field of blindness promoting effective use of computer access technology. Prior to joining AFB, Jay worked for The Seeing Eye as Field Representative for six years.

Glen W. White, Ph.D

RTC/IL University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Glen is Director of the Research & Training Center on Independent Living at the University of Kansas, serving as Principal Investigator of the Research and Training Center on Full Participation in Independent Living. He conducts research on housing, advocacy, developing community support for Independent Living Centers, and for the past several years he has been developing a systematic line of research in the area of prevention of secondary conditions. He is past president of the National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers, past Chair of the American Public Health Association's Disability Forum., and serves as an advisor and consultant to many national organizations. Dr. White is Professor of Applied Behavioral Science, where he teaches behavioral, community psychology, and disability studies.

Al Kaufman

Center for the Visually Impaired
Atlanta, Georgia
Al is an orientation and mobility instructor for the Center for the Visually Impaired, providing comprehensive services to promote independence with dignity and the preservation of self worth for individuals of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.  Al has led groups in the outreach program with CVI since its inception in 2002.