SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES CONCURRENT SESSIONS – Allen Kong Allen is Director, Allen Kong Architects. He has built an award winning international reputation for designing sustainable social architecture. Early work includes disaster relief reconstruction in Afghanistan, followed by research work for Melbourne University Antarctic Studies. Recent work has been affordable accommodation for homeless aged people; people with dementia and other disabilities. His work has received many international awards including UN World Habitat Award, UN Scroll of Honour, Human Settlements, and from International Union of Architects. He is a Fellow Australian Institute of Architects (FRAIA); Member Association of Consultants in Access Australia (ACAA); Member of Building Appeals Board, Victoria; Member of International Union of Architects, Architecture for All; Member AIA National Access Work Group; and Chair of AIA Victoria Access Committee. Apeksha Gohil Dr Apeksha Gohil is an Occupational Therapist (OT) and currently a lecturer at Monash University. She received her Doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a focus on Universal Design (UD) as an emerging area of practice for OTs. She brings knowledge and skills in project management related to environmental accessibility through her work in India and in the United States. Her research focuses on the role of OT in the UD process to enable OTs to consult with various stakeholders from diverse contexts such as housing, healthcare, public spaces to reach targeted UD solutions to improve environmental accessibility. Bill Forrester Bill Forrester has more than 35 experience and is an acknowledge world leader in accessible tourism, universal design and social inclusion, and the economic impact the retiring Baby Boomers will have on the tourism sector. He is a business focused professional who has a fundamental belief in sound economic management and understand the competitive advantage to be had from effective environmental sustainability and social inclusion. Having formed Travability, he is using his corporate experience to drive cultural change within the Tourism and Travel sectors to provide a truly inclusive experience for everyone through the concepts of universal design. Cathryn Grant
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES – CONCURRENT SESSIONS Allen Kong Allen is Director, Allen Kong Architects. He has built an award winning international reputation for designing sustainable social architecture. Early work includes disaster relief reconstruction in Afghanistan, followed by research work for Melbourne University Antarctic Studies. Recent work has been affordable accommodation for homeless aged people; people with dementia and other disabilities. His work has received many international awards including UN World Habitat Award, UN Scroll of Honour, Human Settlements, and from International Union of Architects. He is a Fellow Australian Institute of Architects (FRAIA); Member Association of Consultants in Access Australia (ACAA); Member of Building Appeals Board, Victoria; Member of International Union of Architects, Architecture for All; Member AIA National Access Work Group; and Chair of AIA Victoria Access Committee. Apeksha Gohil Dr Apeksha Gohil is an Occupational Therapist (OT) and currently a lecturer at Monash University. She received her Doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a focus on Universal Design (UD) as an emerging area of practice for OTs. She brings knowledge and skills in project management related to environmental accessibility through her work in India and in the United States. Her research focuses on the role of OT in the UD process to enable OTs to consult with various stakeholders from diverse contexts such as housing, healthcare, public spaces to reach targeted UD solutions to improve environmental accessibility. Bill Forrester Bill Forrester has more than 35 experience and is an acknowledge world leader in accessible tourism, universal design and social inclusion, and the economic impact the retiring Baby Boomers will have on the tourism sector. He is a business focused professional who has a fundamental belief in sound economic management and understand the competitive advantage to be had from effective environmental sustainability and social inclusion. Having formed Travability, he is using his corporate experience to drive cultural change within the Tourism and Travel sectors to provide a truly inclusive experience for everyone through the concepts of universal design. Cathryn Grant
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