Session Highlights
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Students will engage with experts and relevant organisations to learn the principles of Universal Design and Accessibility through real examples.
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Through applied exercises, students will explore how spatial planning, materials, ergonomics and sensory cues can enable independent and inclusive spaces for all.
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Interaction and critique from experts, and case studies will help students understand lived realities and develop greater empathy and awareness while designing for diverse users.
Experts
Prof. Dr. Gaurav Raheja
PhD, DAAD Fellow Professor & Former Head, Department of Architecture & Planning, IIT Roorkee. Accessibility Consultant and Expert Founder, Laboratory of Inclusive Design, IIT Roorkee.
Dr. Gaurav Raheja is a Professor and Former Head of Architecture & Planning at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, with over twenty years of professional experience across diverse domains with a focus on Accessibility and Inclusion in diverse environments and scales. Among his areas of interest are inclusive design, inclusive mobility, design for social futures across varied areas of the built environment, communication design, social innovation and design strategy.
Prof. Dr. Kavita Murugkar
Principal at BVDUCOA. Universal Design Specialist
Prof. Dr Kavita Murugkar is a distinguished architect, educator, and Universal Design evangelist with an impressive 25-year track record in both education and practise. Her unwavering passion and expertise lie in Disability-Inclusive development and rights, with a specialisation in diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Throughout her career, she has relentlessly advocated for people-centric and inclusive design policies, conducted groundbreaking research, and fostered inclusive practices in the design industry.
Ms. Kavitha Krishnamoorthy
Founder of Kilikili Organisation, Co-founder and Co-Director of CanBridge Academy, Chennai.
Kavitha Krishnamoorthy, a social development professional and a parent of a young adult with autism, has been engaged in understanding the gaps in services for children and young adults with autism and in evolving innovative solutions to address these needs. Through Kilikili, an organisation she founded, she has been articulating the need for inclusive public play spaces, influencing public and private actors to develop inclusive play spaces across the country.
Faculty Catalyst
Ar. Pooja Ugrani
Founder of Sound of Paper
Pooja Ugrani is an architect and a PhD Scholar at the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. Her area of interest includes how human behaviour and the urban built environment impact each other. She runs a brand called Sound of Paper, which teaches the art of origami to children as well as adults, and retails products in boutique stores in Bangalore. She has conducted workshops for architecture students in the past and plans to explore architecture through origami.
Contributors
Participating Colleges
Understanding inclusion through design, empathy, and real-world spatial experiences.
Take the first step towards impact!