University at Buffalo/IDeA Center

Victor L. Paquet, Sc.D.

Victor L. Paquet, Sc.D., is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at UB. His current research activities include the development of an anthropometric database of wheelchair users and studies of the effects of products and environments on user kinematics. At the IDEA Center, Dr. Paquet is the Project Coordinator for the R2: Targeted Human Factors Studies for Design Practice for the RERC-UD. He previously co-directed the RERC-UD Prototype Anthropometric Database Study. He is also currently Co-Director of the Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility Project for the U.S. Access Board. In 2003, he was awarded an ASSE fellowship. Dr. Paquet has published widely in the field of ergonomics and recently edited a special issue of the Journal of Industrial Ergonomics on the topic of Anthropometry and Disability.

Brittany Perez, OTD, OTR/L

Brittany Perez, OTD, OTR/L is an occupational therapist and Director of Outreach and Engagement at the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA) at the University at Buffalo in the School of Architecture and Planning. She earned her Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, with a research focus on universal design and social participation, and a she earned her B.S. in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.

At the IDeA Center, Ms. Perez coordinates product and environment usability studies and leads efforts for outreach and community engagement. She coordinates interdisciplinary research activities on both the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design in the Built Environment (RERC-UD) and the RERC on Accessible Public Transportation (RERC-APT) at the Center.

Ms. Perez co-founded and co-directs the Age Friendly Erie County initiative, a collaborative community-based effort working to build creative partnerships for a more inclusive Western New York. Brittany is the Assistant Director for Community Outreach in the University at Buffalo’s Center for Successful Aging, and is an adjunct instructor in the department of occupational therapy.

Heamchand Subryan, M.Arch/MFA.

Heamchand Subryan, M.Arch/MFA., has worked at the IDeA Center for five years while completing his dual degree program in architecture and media studies with an emphasis on introducing responsive information technologies into built environments. At the IDEA Center, his responsibilities include interactive technology development, and graphic, website, exhibit, and interactive design. He manages and maintains the IDeA Center, UD E-World, and GUDC, Inc. websites. He is responsible for the layout, visual appearance, usability and accessibility of these sites. He has extensive experience with Web 2.0 technologies including wikis, blogs and social networks such as Flickr and Facebook. Additionally, he is trained in the requirements of web accessibility and usability.

His work in interactive devices includes developing a commercial prototype of an interactive model that orients blind users in their environment for a major school for the blind in New England, and is currently in discussions with the Smithsonian Museum, currently seeking funding for development of similar technology for their visitors. He is prototyping a device for use in a home to control multiple appliances and commercial products, and has redesigned user interfaces for common home appliances for product development. He routinely assists members of the architecture and planning faculty in the development of exhibitions, displays and products requiring interactive technology. As a researcher, he is interested in wayfinding technologies for blind users, smart home technologies for elderly individuals, tactile interfaces, web usability and accessibility, accessible transportation, and universal and accessible design.

Jonathan White, M.Arch

Jonathan White, M.Arch., is a Research Associate at the IDeA Center. He is an architectural researcher and designer with special expertise in ADA compliance, universal design, accessible design, graphic design, computer-aided design, and visualization techniques. He has lectured to local professionals and students on inclusive housing and design strategies and recently helped organize an accessibility track at a national housing conference. He manages the IDeA Center’s online continuing education program. He co-authored the book, Inclusive Hous-ing: A Pattern Book (W.W. Norton & Co.).

Danise Levine, RA.

Danise Levine, RA., is the Assistant Director of the IDEA Center and was Director of Technical Assistance for the RERC-UD. She is also an Assistant Research Professor in the Departments of Architecture and Planning at UB. Ms. Levine is a licensed architect and has more than 13 years of architectural practice experience, with special expertise in the areas of ADA compliance, universal design, and accessible design. She recently completed designs for four newly constructed, universally designed homes, including two model homes. She is active in consulting on ADA compliance and regularly publishes articles in technical journals and books.

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