Vera Roberts, PhD. Manager. Vera is Research Facilitator of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) where she helps plan IDRC projects as well as plans and carries out iterative studies, evaluations and usability assessments for IDRC research and development projects or provides assistance to others in developing survey and assessment tools.

 

David H. Pereyra, Ph.D. Coordinator. David is architect from Buenos Aires, and earned a degree of Doctor in Philosophy of Theology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Pereyra’s academic focus centres on interdisciplinary aspects of our multicultural society, as expressed through art, music, film, worship, multimedia, technology and sacred spaces. He is particularly interested in ritual spaces as iconic points of reference that provide unique meanings to the collective memory of a culture, and how creative experiences of transmitting information and communication can reach users and vice-versa. His Latin American, European and North American multi-cultural background greatly enrich his experience of the world and his scholarly work. Dr. Pereyra organizes collaboration and community engagement of over 90 collaborating research organizations at the Inclusive Design Research Centre, at OCAD University.

 

Teresa Lee. MDes Candidate Team member. While completing her Honours BSc in Psychology and Human Biology at the University of Toronto, she discovered her passion of working with children and youth with developmental disabilities and autism. In the last 10 years, she has worked with hundreds of children and youth in various capacities. She currently works as a consultant to help students successfully transition from clinical settings into schools in Toronto. She is also currently finishing her graduate study in Inclusive Design at OCAD University.

 

Michael Walker, Th.D. Mike is a doctor in theology at the Toronto School of Theology, at the University of Toronto; his dissertation on baptism, Holy Communion, community, and people with disabilities. Mike worships at the Jeremiah Community, an intentional community in Parkdale, Toronto. Aside from his communications role in Our Doors are Open at the IDRC, Mike is the co-author of the Student Christian Movement’s Disability, Faith, and Justice Devotional (2016). In his spare time, Mike is an avid reader, a poet, and a lover of good music.

 

Francisco Uy. Team member. Francisco Uy is a third-year advertising student at OCAD University. He is in charge of the project’s social media and design for promotional materials, including the accessibility guide. He lives by the mantra, “love the neighbor”, a driving force that encouraged him to join the project.