Speakers and Moderators’ Biographies

Co-director, The DisOrdinary Architecture Project, UK

Dr Jos Boys is co-founder and co-director, with Zoe Partington, of The DisOrdinary Architecture Project, a UK-based platform that brings disabled artists into built-environment education and practice to critically and creatively rethink access and inclusion. Trained originally as an architect, she was a co-founder of the Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative in London in the 1980s, and currently leads the development of the Matrix Open online archive.

A long-standing design activist, Jos has also worked as a journalist, critic, researcher, consultant, educator, photographer and artist, and has published extensively. These include authoring Doing Disability Differently: an alternative handbook on architecture, dis/ability, and designing for everyday life (2014); editing Disability, Space, Architecture: A Reader (2017), and co-editing Neurodivergence and Architecture (2022).

Jos has also been a guest professor at the Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen, and is currently an associate honorary professor at the UCL Institute of Education Knowledge Lab. Her research and practice explore how everyday social, spatial and material practices shape what is considered “ordinary”, and how design interventions can be co-developed to challenge norms around value, inclusion and access in society, the built-environment and architectural practice.

Senior Director, SG Enable, Singapore

Edward Chew leads the Employment and Lifelong Learning (ELL) Group at SG Enable and oversees the Enabling Village Division.

With more than 20 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality sector, Edward developed and executed strategic promotion and marketing campaigns for Singapore during his time with the Singapore Tourism Board. He also spent six years with Resorts World Sentosa, where he gained extensive experience in strategy, marketing and partnerships, government relations and resort development.

Building on his experience across the public and private sectors, Edward leads the ELL Group to strengthen the ecosystem of employment and lifelong learning for people with disabilities, and to advocate for greater integration in the community and at work. He also develops and runs programmes and services that provide employment opportunities and build the capabilities of inclusive employers.

Edward joined SG Enable on 18 March 2024.

Founder and President, Architecture for the Blind, USA

Chris Downey’s work focuses on enriching the environment for the visually impaired. His projects, from rehabilitation to cultural centres, reflect his 20 years of traditional sighted architectural experience and ongoing practice since losing sight in 2008. Chris also serves on the California Commission on Disability Access, teaches accessibility and universal design at University of California, Berkeley, and speaks internationally. Projects include the UPMC Vision and Rehabilitation Hospital at UPMC Mercy Pavilion, Pittsburgh; Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, San Francisco; Sustainability Pavilion, Dubai; and Salesforce Transit Centre, San Francisco. His TED Talk, Design with the Blind in Mind, is available on YouTube.

Researcher, AirSticks Project, SensiLab, Monash University, Australia

Dr Ciaran Frame is a composer and researcher based in Melbourne. His work is characterised by an innovative approach to music-making, an interest in collaboration, and a commitment to creating music that is both accessible and meaningful to a broad range of people. His work has featured across Australia and internationally, ranging from turning people into instruments (“You're an Instrument!”) to asking 10,000 people to play the kazoo (“10,000 Kazoos”). He is the recipient of a Silver Anthem Award, an Australian Good Design Award, and currently serves on the board of Ensemble Offspring. Ciaran completed his honours at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and his PhD at Monash University’s SensiLab.

Researcher, AirSticks Project, SensiLab, Monash University, Australia

Dr Alon Ilsar is a drummer, improviser, instrument designer and researcher. He is currently an Artistic Associate at Speak Percussion and an Australian Research Council Industry Fellow at Monash University’s SensiLab, researching the uses of the AirSticks — a gestural instrument he invented — in the field of health and wellbeing, making music creation more accessible to the broader community.

Alon has played the AirSticks at Sydney Festival, Vivid Sydney, on triple j’s Like a Version and at New York City’s The Met, with projects such as Trigger Happy ‘Visualised’, The Hour, The Sticks, Tuka (from Thundamentals), Sandy Evans’ ‘Ahimsa’ and ‘Rockpool’, Ellen Kirkwood’s ‘[A]part’, Kirin J Callinan, Kind of Silence (UK), Cephalon (US), and Melinda Smith’s ‘Conduit Bodies’ and Speak Percussion’s ‘Before Nightfall’.

He has played drums in: Belvoir Theatre’s Keating! the Musical, Sydney Theatre Company’s Mojo, Meow Meow with the London Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, the New Zealand, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Western Australia Symphony Orchestras, Stephanie Lake’s Manifesto, Alan Cumming, Jake Shears and Eddie Perfect. His papers have been published at conferences such as CHI, NIME and ASSETS.

Project Leader of Global division OryLab Inc., Japan

Born in Denmark and raised in Portugal, Anna Maria Juul now lives in Japan, where her multicultural background shapes her work. A polyglot who speaks nine languages, she holds a Master's degree in International Communication and Relations, specialising in culture, theatre and human expression.

She joined the OriHime project in 2011 after meeting its creator Ory Yoshifuji, during a university exchange programme. She went on to play a key role in launching OryLab's Café DAWN, training robot pilots in communication, self-presentation and entertaining guests from around the world.

Beyond training, she helped expand Café DAWN internationally, shaping a new culture of robot-mediated social interaction. By enabling people who have difficulty going out to take part in public-facing café work — remotely piloting OriHime — she has shown that genuine human connection is possible even when participants are physically distant.

Today, Anna Maria leads efforts at OryLab Inc. to mainstream this model, creating opportunities and fostering inclusion for homebound individuals in Japan. Her work bridges technology, culture and human expression, showing how innovation can foster meaningful human interaction.

CEO & Co-founder, Elevatefoods Technology, Hong Kong

Dr Connie Lee is a serial entrepreneur in food technology and the CEO and Co-founder of Elevatefoods Technology (Elevatefoods). A graduate of the Design Academy Eindhoven, Connie brings extensive industry experience in product innovation, with award-winning designs recognised by the German Design Awards, Red Dot Awards, and ICT Smart Living Awards. She has been named a “40 Under 40 Designer” by Perspective Magazine and featured on the “Gen.T Asia 2024” list by Tatler Asia.

Connie completed her PhD at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Connie’s research focuses on digital food technology, precision 3D food printing, and functional materials for life-tech applications. Her doctoral research has been successfully translated into commercial application through HKUST’s technology transfer programme, forming the foundation of Elevatefoods. Under Connie’s leadership, Elevatefoods has secured multiple start-up grants, won international start-up awards, and garnered coverage from various international media outlets. The company is recognised as a pioneer in personalised nutrition and sustainable food production through its proprietary 3D food printing systems.

Connie continues to bridge academic research with real-world impact, advancing the future of food through design, science, and entrepreneurship.

Assistant Arts Professor, New York University Tisch's Interactive Telecommunications Program & Interactive Media Arts (NYU ITP/IMA), South Korea/US

Yeseul Song (송예슬) is a South Korean–born, New York–based artist who uses technology, interaction and participation as art media. She creates “stages for people”, inviting people to discover new sensory languages through playful, thought-provoking embodied experiences. Her work explores the creative potential of non-visual senses, using technology and interaction to advocate imaginative and inclusive views of the world. Grounded in the belief that art should be accessible to everyone, she works in non-traditional art spaces to challenge conventional ideas of access and accessibility in art.

She is best known for Invisible Sculptures (2018–2021), a series of non-visual experiential works composed of sound, warmth, air, smell and thought; Two Subtle Bodies (2022), a participatory performance in which two people wear interactive cloaks to embody one another; and Balancing Act (2025), an interactive installation that invites participants to move together as one.

Her non-visual works have reached hundreds of thousands of people across a wide range of contexts, from museums including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Middlebury College Museum of Art, Wave Hill, National Asian Culture Center, Kansong Art Museum Daegu and the National Children's Museum, to outdoor public-art contexts such as Art in Odd Places and DUMBO.

Yeseul is an Assistant Arts Professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ ITP/IMA, where she teaches physical computing and interactive art.

Speech Therapist & Founder, JIN4 JY5 LIMITED, Hong Kong

Kenxes Tang Ho-Wah is a registered speech therapist working in Hong Kong, providing professional assessment and treatment to patients with communication and/or swallowing disorders. To better support patients who experience social exclusion, he established a social enterprise, Jin4 Jy5 Limited, in 2022. The initiative promotes the concept of “dysphagia-friendly restaurants” while creating employment opportunities for individuals with communication difficulties.

In addition to his clinical and community work, Mr Tang is involved in research and academic publication as a Senior Research Assistant at the University of Hong Kong’s Swallowing Research Laboratory, contributing to the development of evidence-based speech therapy services. He also serves as a Care Food Ambassador for The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, providing consultation and supporting the delivery of various community programmes to community-dwelling individuals.

Co-Founder, Elderly Home Designs, Hong Kong

Jones Wong is a distinguished interior designer and co-founder of Elderly Home Designs Limited, internationally recognised for his innovative work across commercial, residential, hospitality and corporate spaces. Jones was named a 2025 Global Outstanding Chinese Youth.

Throughout his career, Jones has held prominent roles at acclaimed firms. He served as Team Leader and Associate at HOK (Asia/Pacific), where he led large-scale projects and developed strong leadership expertise. His landmark projects include the Hong Kong Government Headquarters, Aloft Hotels, The Wave Hong Kong, Novotel Century Hong Kong, Shenzhen Konka R&D Headquarters and the Stephenson Harwood Hong Kong Office, among others.

In recent years, Jones has focused his practice on elderly care space design, bringing specialist insight to this growing field. As a Senior Home Safety Specialist, he integrates clinical knowledge with design innovation. As a PRC Registered Senior Interior Architect and PRC Registered Senior Lighting Designer, Jones brings a multidisciplinary approach to his work. His collaboration with The Hong Kong Society for the Blind on bathroom design projects demonstrated a remarkable reduction in fall incidents, while significantly improving residents’ quality of life and wellbeing.

Research and Innovation Executive, Drake Music, UK

Tim Yates is Research and Innovation Executive at Drake Music, a leading UK charity working at the intersection of music, technology and disability. He leads the development of accessible music technologies and instruments, working with partners including Sony, the Royal Northern College of Music, Imperial College London, Paraorchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Inclusive Music Consortium and the Royal Society.

Drake Music delivers a wide range of projects, including the Sony Hackathon, which brings together Sony engineers, makers and academics, led by professional disabled musicians, to develop innovative accessible music technologies. In partnership with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the OrchLab programme co-designs accessible orchestral instruments for inclusive music-making workshops. A central strand of Drake Music’s research and innovation work is AMIC—the Accessible Musical Instrument Collection, a comprehensive collection of accessible instruments and technologies, currently in development to transform access to accessible music technology for disabled musicians.

Tim is also undertaking a PhD at the University of Greenwich, researching immersive and interactive sound art using spatial audio. His work develops robotic and mechanical systems that translate physical environments into real-time virtual experiences. He is a practising musician, sound artist and technologist.