Join DLR Group at the Kennedy Center’s Leadership Exchange in Arts & Disability 2024 Conference in Seattle, Washington. Associate and Designer Aaron Wong, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, will present a session titled “Cultural Spaces Design Forum: Modern Access Needs in Existing & New Venues.” In the session, creative problem-solvers will dive into designing existing and new cultural spaces with an eye toward modern accessibility needs.

Encouraging questions and ideas, the session will discuss architectural, technological, aesthetic, and operational considerations for inclusive cultural spaces as well as what often gets missed or lost in the design and construction processes.

Learning objectives for the session include:

• Balancing modern needs with historic preservation in renovations.
• Communications and physical access for theaters, performing arts, and auditoriums: front of house vs. back of house; indoor vs. outdoor.
• Hitting major access needs by doing more with less.
• Involving the community in designing for the user over designing for compliance.

Aaron will present alongside Maddie Daily, Senior Consultant at Threshold Acoustics, Michelle Cook, Inclusive Design Specialist at Access Smithsonian, and Janice Majewski, Director of Inclusive Culture Projects at Institute for Human Centered Design. The session will be held on the fourth day of the conference, Thursday, August 1 from 9:00 to 10:15 AM.