Symposium to Explore Creating Flexible Environments for People

Symposium to Explore Creating Flexible Environments for People with Low Vision

Attend the Low Vision Design Committee (LVDC) Symposium October 9, 2013 --- Creating Flexible Environments for People with Low Vision, to explore how people with low vision interact with their environments; gain insight into the most common roadblocks people with low vision encounter; and learn the best practices in design that can be used to clear their way. The LVDC Symposium will be held Thursday, January 9, 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm, as part of Building Innovation 2014: the National Institute of Building Sciences Conference and Expo.

At the LVDC Symposium, designers from the architecture, engineering and lighting design arenas will present best practices for designing for people with low vision in both commercial and residential buildings. Representatives from the world of eye and brain medicine will discuss various forms that low vision can take and how the symptoms of specific eye diseases and conditions affect vision in different ways. In addition, the Committee will present its latest work on development of a design guideline/standard to address the needs of people with low vision.

U. S General Services Administration (GSA) Deputy Administrator Susan Brita, a long-term advocate of rights for people with disabilities, will deliver the keynote address and talk about her agency’s commitment to accessibility in public buildings and the evolving character of P-100,Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service.

Architecture Professor James R. Jones, PhD, of Virginia Tech’s Center for High Performance Environments and his dissertation students will present their work on developing early design simulation tools that can render—in early design phases—interior environments as seen by persons with different kinds of low vision.

Another highlight of the Symposium will be a point-counterpoint panel discussion between users with low vision and the designers working to improve their environments, going straight to the heart of real-world issues in designing for and navigating the surroundings of people with low vision. Because some of the committee members wear both design and low-vision hats, expect a spirited and enlightening discussion.

Speakers/Session Leaders include:

Susan Brita, GSA Deputy Administrator
Dennis W. Siemsen, OD, Mayo Clinic
Gregory S. Knoop, AIA, LEED-AP, OKKS Studios, Architects
Nancy E. Clanton, PE, FIES, LC, IALD, Clanton and Associates, Lighting Engineers
James Jones, PhD, Virginia Tech Center for High Performance Environments

The Low Vision Panel includes:

Vijay Gupta, PE, Chief Mechanical Engineer, GSA Public Buildings Service (ret.)
Frederick Krimgold, PhD, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute
Barbara Milleville, President, National Capital Citizens with Low Vision
Marsha Mazz, Director, Office of Technical and Information Services, U.S. Access Board

The Designer Panel includes:

Robert Dupuy, LC, IALD, Associate Principal, Interface Engineering
Greg Guarnaccia, IES, LC, Doubledge Design LLC
Gregory S. Knoop, AIA, LEED-AP, OKKS Studios, Architects
Eunice Noell Waggoner, IES, LC, President, Center of Design for an Aging Society
James E. Woods, PhD, PE, Committee Chair and Indoor Environments Consultant

Be sure to stop by the LVDC booth in the Building Innovation 2014 Exhibit Hall. Try on a pair of low vision “goggles” and experience navigating the conference environment as a person with low vision.

View the full LVDC Symposium schedule and list of presentations.

Register to Attend
Register now to attend Building Innovation 2014 and the LVDC Symposium and save. Early-bird rates ends 10/31/13.
www.nibs.org/conference2014

About the National Institute of Building Sciences
The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology.