Speakers
We’ll be announcing talks, as well as more speakers in the coming weeks.
Chancey Fleet
Chancey Fleet is a Brooklyn-based accessibility advocate. Fleet coordinates technology education programs at the New York Public Library's Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. Her current library-based projects include group workshops highlighting mobile technologies for independent living and information literacy; programs introducing youth and adults to non-visual techniques for coding and making with Arduino; and the Dimensions project (a recipient of NYPL’s 2016 Innovation Grant for staff projects), which equips community members with the training and tools they need to create accessible tactile maps, diagrams, graphics and objects. Chancey was recognized as a 2017 Library Journal Mover and Shaker. In her Data & Society fellowship work in 2018-2019, Chancey hopes to deepen public understanding and spark widespread curiosity about how cloud-connected accessibility tools enhance or undermine digital equity, autonomy, security, and privacy.
Alastair Somerville
Alastair Somerville is a Sensory Design Consultant. He works with government agencies, museums and charities in the design of wayfinding systems and the design of public spaces for people with a range of physical and cognitive capacities. Working with new research in perception and new technologies, like VR and 3d printing, he works with people with lived experience to create practical solutions to make places welcoming and accessible to all.
Thea Kurdi
Vice President, DesignABLE Environments Inc.
Thea Kurdi is an accessibility specialist and dynamic speaker known for her enthusiasm for teaching. She has presented workshops, keynote addresses and lectures at local and international events for design professionals, building owners, and policymakers. From the human rights code to evidence-based design and increased marketability, Kurdi shares her passion for how accessibility is fundamental to successful architecture.
Makoto Ueki
Web Accessibility Consultant in Japan. Makoto has been contributing to the JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) Working Group and W3C AG (Accessibility Guidelines) Working Group (currently working on the Silver task force) as a web accessibility expert. And he was a chairman of the Web accessibility Committee in Japan (WAIC) from 2012 to 2019. He is the first Japanese who got cerrtified as the IAAP's Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA). He is also a watcher of the accessibility in the real life and is sharing the photos of the accessible design stuff on Twitter.
Amy Pothier
Associate - Inclusivity and Building Code Specialist at Gensler.
An interior designer by education, Amy has always been interested in the technical parameters of design, diving right in to become a building code consultant. Recognizing that the building code minimums were not acceptable to designing accessible spaces, she became an accessibility consultant working on projects on a more universal design approach. She has since combined her love of building codes with her passion for universal design as the practice area leader for health & wellness at Gensler’s Toronto office, imbuing her passion for code compliance and accessibility advocacy into projects across Canada.
Maxwell Ng
Maxwell Ng is an Architect with over fifteen years of experience designing university spaces, commercial workplaces and elder housing. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from Boston University and an M.Arch from the Boston Architectural College. A recent transplant from the US, he previously served on the board of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), the Queer Asian Pacific-Islander Alliance (QAPA), and is a founding player of the TrailStormers, the Boston based softball team for trans and gender variant people. He currently works for the international design firm, Gensler where he co-chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group for the Toronto office.
Sarah Manteuffel
Sarah Manteuffel is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA). Sarah sat as Vice President of Little People of Manitoba (LPM) for 5 years, and continues to be a member of LPM, Little People of Ontario, Little People of America, and is a Board member on the Dwarf Athletic Association of Canada (DAAC). As a little person as well as having an education in Interior Design, Sarah has always viewed the world from from a unique perspective; focusing on how spaces physically and emotionally affect people beyond accessible design. Through working with the OALA she has learned more about advocating for accessible spaces both inside and out, and continues to increase her awareness and education on how to make the world more accepting for all human beings.
Dan Seljak-Byrne
Dan Seljak-Byrne is media professional working at the intersection of visual and written communications. At Gensler, he works primarily in the marketing and communications department while contributing to the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and other initiatives across the larger organization. He writes about mental health and runs a weekly newsletter about design and urbanism through an equity lens called Another Glass Box.
Samantha Biglieri
Samantha Biglieri is a practicing urban planner with The Biglieri Group Ltd., a PhD Candidate in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo, and a Sessional Lecturer at the School of Urban & Regional Planning at Ryerson University. Samantha serves as Vice President of the Toronto Council on Aging, and does research at the intersection of planning and health - examining experiences of marginalized populations in sub/urban landscapes in order to build more accessible, inclusive places. Samantha’s published and ongoing work on dementia-inclusive urban planning/civic engagement and age-friendly policies has been featured in academic journals, international conferences, industry publications and on CBC radio.
Karl van Es
Associate, B.Arch.Sci., M.Arch., OAA
Karl brings his passion for sustainable design to Quadrangle and is well-versed in Net Zero and Passive House standards. A strong project manager, he has extensive experience in leading teams for multi-unit residential developments, with a particular emphasis on design, planning, municipal approvals and contract administration. Karl has worked on a wide range of architectural typologies both locally and internationally. His portfolio of work at Quadrangle includes Axess Condominiums, Maple Leaf Quay, 543 Richmond Street West, Indigo Condominiums Phases I, II, and III, Rosedale Village G&H, and 89-101 Roehampton Avenue. Karl is a dedicated member of our in-house Green Team and champions the development of green design strategies for multi-unit residential buildings. He also contributes to Quadrangle’s Studio as an organizer of the popular after-hours Food for Thought design discussion series.
Lorene Casiez
Associate, Accessibility and Wellness Practice Lead, RN, MN, BDes, WELL AP
Lorene strongly believes that the goals of inclusive design provide the basic framework of good design for all people. Lorene coordinates and manages the accessibility practice at Human Space, a division of Quadrangle, including team operations, project delivery and client relationships. Her goal is to maintain a high level of accessibility in all projects and steer the practice towards projects that will have a meaningful impact. She strategically analyzes the market and Human Space’s clients’ needs, while also contributing her technical expertise on accessibility requirements and inclusive design strategies to a range of projects. The first in Quadrangle’s Studio to become WELL certified, Lorene is also able to advise clients how to optimize their built environments for human health through the lens of inclusion.
Pina D'Intino
Pina is a sought-after consultant and speaker who actively promotes accessibility and inclusion from both executive-level and grassroots perspectives by bridging the view points and needs of the organization, employees, and customers to establish best-practices environments.
Pina was the Founder and co-Chair of the Canadian Financial Institute on Assistive Technologies (CFIAT); active member of Job Opportunity Information Network (JOIN), Honorary Chair of Financial Services for G3ict, and Advisor on several AODA reviews and initiatives. She is a certified PMI member, and holds a master’s degree in Design in Inclusive Design (MDes) from OCADU.
Pina was a Board Member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) at its inception and is currently a member of the G3ict/IAAP Global Leadership Council. She is currently an active member of the IAAP Certification Committee, the Competencies Development and Recommendation (CDR) Committee, and was a member of both the primary CPACC Certification Committee and the 2017 CPACC Refresh Committee.
In 2013, Pina received the QE2 Diamond Jubilee medal by Canada’s Lt. Governor the Honourable David Onley for her work in accessibility in employment.
David Fourney
David Fourney, PhD., CPWA, is a Digital Accessibility Consultant based in Toronto with extensive experience in all forms of accessibility and inclusive design. His research interests include applied psychology, ergonomics, and industrial engineering. He has a strong passion for the field of accessibility that stems from his own experiences as a neurodiverse hard of hearing person as well as his efforts towards raising awareness and advocating for the needs of consumers with disabilities.
Julie Sawchuk
Having taught high school science for 16 years, Julie has now turned to teaching a new topic - accessibility. After sustaining a spinal cord injury from a collision between a car and her bike in 2015, she is living life with paralysis. One challenge that Julie faces (along with 30% of the Canadian population) is a lack of accessibility. Getting around in the community, at a friend’s homes, doing shopping, sports and attending community events all pose a different set of challenges.
Julie has been a consultant for various building projects in Huron County including Cowbell, Blyth Memorial Hall, Huron Christian School and the 2017 IPM. She has also overseen the universal design construction of her new home. She is a member of the Huron County Accessibility Advisory Committee, represents the Rick Hansen Foundation as a Speaking Ambassador and brought StopGap to Huron County. Julie is also one of the first in Ontario to be a Certified Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification Professional. She has started her own business, Sawchuk Accessible Solutions, helping companies large and small learn how easy access can be.
Jason Boychuk
Jason is currently a senior web developer at CBC in Toronto. With 25 years of experience in different design disciplines, Jason considers himself a bit of a design vagabond. Beginning with a degree in interior design, interning at various architectural firms, he morphed into print design and eventually web information architecture, design and development. Jason is also chair of abilicrew, CBC's employee resource group (ERG) for staff with disabilities.
David Lepofsky
David Lepofsky CM, O. Ont, LLB (Osgoode Hall Law School 1979), LL. M (Harvard Law School 1982) LL.D. (Hon.) (Queens 1999, University of western Ontario 2006, Law Society of Upper Canada 2016)
David Lepofsky is a visiting professor of Disability Rights and Legal Education (part-time) at the Osgoode Hall Law School and an adjunct member of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He holds volunteer leadership roles in the disability community. He is chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. He is a member and past chair of the Toronto District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee.
