Smart Cities for All Advisory Committee Members
The Smart Cities for All Advisory Committee includes disability leaders with deep knowledge and expertise in disabilities, cities, assistive technologies, information technologies, and Smart City solutions. The role of the Advisory Committee is to help to continue expanding the SC4A scale and impact; provide feedback to the SC4A staff on the current projects and opportunities; suggest outreach opportunities and possible cooperation with other organizations; etc.
Committee Members
Lidia Best
Lidia Best is a vice-Chairman of ITU JCA-AHF (International Telecommunication Union Joint Coordination Activities on Accessibility and Human Factors) and internationally recognised accessibility expert and advocate for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. She brings unique knowledge as expert with lived experience, as a person who is hard of hearing and a cochlear implant user since 2009.
Her work has specific focus on accessibility and quality of hearing care for deaf and hard of hearing people including policy development, training, and consulting. She contributed to work on standards as a member of G3ict delegation to ITU in telecoms, captioning and assistive listening devices , having authored the ITU FSTP-RCSO “Overview of remote captioning services" and H.871“Safety requirements for wearable audio augmenting devices” the recommendation on personal sound amplifiers.
After 10 years, Lidia stepped down from a position of the Vice-President of the EFHOH (European Federation of Hard of Hearing) in 2020 to concentrate on international advocacy work. While at EFHOH she was co-author of reports into situation of hard of hearing and deafened people in Europe in areas of employment, hearing care and accessibility. She was an expert advisor at European Disability Forum (EDF) Transport Committee.
In UK, Lidia is a Chairman of the National Association of Deafened People (NADP), she attended London Mayor Accessibility and Disability Committee and participated in accessibility in public transport evaluation.
Katherine Michelle Chacón
Katherine Michelle Chacón Martínez is a technical expert on universal design and accessibility, with a B.Arch. of Architecture from the San Francisco University of Quito (USFQ) and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning with Specialization in Urban Studies from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain (UPM).
She contributed with the elaboration of the "Ecuadorian Methodology for the Development of Universal Accessibility Plans", which was awarded by the Design for All Foundation as one of the best global practices of universal accessibility in 2015 and 2016. Her technical work includes multiple studies on universal design in public, private and academic institutions.
Katherine advises stakeholders in terms of universal design for built environments and trains municipal and political leaders on regulations of constructions and inclusive urban strategies under the CRPD, the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda approach.
Pina D’Intino
Pina is the principal owner of Aequum Global Access Inc., a consulting practice that seeks to provide expertise in accessibility services for all types of organizations. Pina is a sought-after consultant and speaker who actively promotes accessibility and inclusion from both executive-level and grassroots perspectives by bridging the viewpoints and needs of the organization, employees, and customers to establish best-practices environments.
Working for a large financial institute for 29 years, Pina founded and co-chaired the Canadian Financial Institute on Assistive Technologies (CFIAT) and lead the disability network group for 10 years. As a senior consultant and advisor for several large global companies, she developed roadmaps, built accessibility teams, and implemented quality controls to ensure accessibility is conducted through the development of products and services.
Pina is a Senior fellow at G3C ICT, an active member on several IAAP promoting the accessibility profession and increasing awareness. Pina was an advisor and a member of several AODA reviews and initiatives during the development of the provincial standards. She is a certified PMI member and holds a master’s degree in Design in Inclusive Design (MDes) from OCADU.
In 2013, Pina received the QE2 Diamond Jubilee medal by Canada’s Lt. Governor the Honourable David Onley for her work in accessibility in employment.
Georgina Naigulevu
Georgina Naigulevu, born with congenital bilateral talipes, is a Project Manager (Digital and Health Information) at the Fiji Program Support Facility supporting the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in Fiji. She is a technologist with over 20 years of experience in digital transformation across multiple industries and sectors. Georgina is the current Governance Board Chair for Fiji Women's Fund and Board Treasurer for Fiji Disabled People's Federation. Her passion and dedication to her community led to her co-found the Mobile Me Map-a-thon Project that brought together volunteers to share experiences with Persons with Disability in data capture of street level sidewalks within the urban area using a smartphone accessibility audit tool.
Hannes Juhlin Lagrelius
Juhlin Lagrelius is a Program Officer, Global Program for Inclusive and Accessible Urban Development, World Blind Union (WBU), a federation representing the estimated the 253 million persons who are blind and partially sighted worldwide with over 190 national member organizations. Mr. Juhlin Lagrelius is 28 years old, originally from Sweden, and has lived with a visual impairment since birth.
Mr. Juhlin Lagrelius manages WBU’s Global Program for Inclusive and Accessible Urban Development aiming to promote and ensure that urban development policies and practices integrate disability inclusion, accessibility, and Universal Design to leave no one behind in urban transformation. The program started with the WBU Accessible Smart Cities for all initiative 2019 which is now larger in scope. Mr. Juhlin Lagrelius works closely with UN-Habitat on the implementation of a milestone agreement on disability inclusion, Universal Design, and accessibility towards cities for all. He is currently a co-chair of the Partner Constituent Group of Persons with Disabilities within the multi-stakeholder platform General Assembly of Partners (GAP) and is very active in the Global Network for Disability-Inclusive & Accessible Urban Development (DIAUD).
The position at the World Blind Union is a Bilateral Associate Expert secondment by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). He has BA degrees in Peace and Development Studies and in Political Science from the Linnaeus University in Sweden and has a professional background in disability rights and organizational development, primarily in the bilateral development cooperation sector and disability rights movement.
Richard J. Streitz
Richard Streitz, currently COO of Ruh Global IMPACT, has a collective experience of over 30 years in design, design management, engineering, manufacturing, construction management, and corporate executive management.
As a Disney Imagineer, Richard was actively engaged and instrumental in the design and development and of rides, attractions, and rich, immersive environments, integrating complex design and development processes on many large, high-profile Disney theme parks and resorts in the USA, through Asia and Europe.
Richard’s background gives him the foundation to design and integrate sustainable, smart cities, universally accessible built environments and world-class destinations, inclusionary services, systems strategies, ICT, including digital and virtual immersive technologies.
Richard’s additional experience also included working closely with state legislatures and collaborating on policy development as it pertains to property and development rights along with championing rights for the Persons with Disabilities community.
His unique perspective incorporating practical, sustainable, human centric and intuitive system designs, helps better enable persons of all ages and abilities to interact and engage with their work, play, and living environments.
Karen Tamley
Karen Tamley served as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities in Chicago for 14 years, where she tackled disability policy and accessibility initiatives under three Chicago mayors. Karen led disability-related work in the areas of transportation, city infrastructure, technology, emergency planning, education, and employment. She also oversaw the delivery of direct services including in-home supports, home accessibility modifications, and employment services to thousands of youth and adults with disabilities.
Karen was appointed by President Obama in 2016 to serve on the United States Access Board, which develops national accessibility guidelines and standards. In March of 2019, she was elected Chair of the Access Board.
In becoming CEO of Access Living, Karen is returning to her roots. She worked at Access Living from 1996 to 2005, under founding CEO Marca Bristo, first for three years as the Housing Policy Coordinator and then for six years as the Director of Programs.
Prior to that, she was the Housing Director at Atlantis Community, Inc. a Center for service and advocacy for people with disabilities in Denver, Colorado. Tamley has a depth of experience serving on a wide variety of community and nonprofit boards that focus on cultural experiences and diversity and inclusion.
In 2015, Karen received the Motorola Solutions Excellence in Public Service Award from the Civic Federation, which recognizes a non-elected government official for having an extraordinary impact on the quality of state and local government services in Illinois, and she received the Distinguished Fellow award from Leadership Greater Chicago.
Karen is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Kevin Irvine, and their adopted teenage daughter, Dominika. All three have disabilities themselves and are actively involved in grassroots disability advocacy locally and nationally.
Ekaete Judith Umoh
Ekaete Judith Umoh has over twenty years of experience as an international disability rights advocate and inclusive development expert with astute analysis of issues related to gender, disability and development. She is currently Country Director at CBM Global Disability Inclusion Nigeria, where she leads her team in the fight to end the circle of poverty and disability in Nigeria.
Ms. Umoh is Founder at FACICP Disability Plus, an organization that seeks to promote the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in all gender and development efforts. In 2014, she became the first elected Female President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities - JONAPWD in Nigeria where she led Organizations of Persons with disabilities in the struggles to signing the Nigerian Disability Bill into Law in 2019 after over seventeen years of consistent advocacy.
In 2014, she became the first elected Female President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) in Nigeria, where she led Organizations of Persons with disabilities in the struggles to signing the Nigerian Disability Bill into Law in 2019 after over 17 years of consistent advocacy. Aside disability activism she has served as consultant to a couple of Development agencies, providing technical assistance on disability inclusion in programs and project designs.
Ms. Umoh enjoys greatly disability activism and sees the disability movement has a strong platform to push boundaries and infiltrate spaces to promote the human rights of persons with disabilities globally. Consequently, she has served in various capacities in the past, including Vice President at Rehabilitation International (RI) representing African Region; Vice Chairperson (Human rights)- West African Federation of Persons with Disabilities (WAFOD), Board Member, African Disability Forum (ADF), representing women.
Currently, she is Secretary at ADF, also Member, International Advisory committee of Mobility International, USA (MIUSA) and a proud alumna of MIUSA’s Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability-WILD.
Her continuous doggedness to disrupt all forms of inequalities against persons with disabilities earned her the Global Fellow of the prestigious Ford Fellowship (2021 Global Fellow).
Ms. Umoh has been honored by the Outstanding Volunteers Award (OVA), a flagship recognition Award hosted by United Nations Volunteers Programme, Nigeria, specifically for volunteers who have displayed inspirational leadership and dedication.
Ms. Umoh is widely traveled. She is a trainer, a public speaker, an activist, a microbiologist, and a certified Laboratory Scientist and Educationist. She holds a Master’s degree (MSc) in social work.
Yuval Wagner
Yuval Wagner was an Air Force combat helicopter pilot. Due to a flight accident he is today a quadriplegic, paralyzed neck down, confined to a wheelchair. Founded Access Israel org. promoting accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities and the elderly in all areas of life.
Yuval is an expert consultant of accessibility services for people with disabilities with 20 years' experience. Accessibility innovator and leader who promotes future technology accessibility. International Speaker, specialist in Computer Programming. Hold BA degree in Marketing, Finance, Information Systems.
Yuval is Chair of the Technical Board of Accessibility at the Israeli Standard Institute; member of the global community of social entrepreneurs of the World Economic Forum – Schwab; Chair of Risk Situation for People with Disabilities Israel; Board Member of Consulting Board to the Commissioner for People with Disabilities Israel; member of the Public Council of the Open University; member of the World Economic Forum Task Force on Accessibility in Smart Cities.
Emeritus Members
Cid Torquato
Cid Torquato is the former Municipal Secretary for Persons with Disabilities for the city of São Paulo, Brazil and is currently President of ICOM Libras. A lawyer graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo, Cid has been an executive at Lowe & Partners Latin America and StarMedia Networks, an advisor in Electronic Government for the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, during the Government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, founder of the Brazilian Chamber of Electronic Commerce, Deputy Secretary of the São Paulo State Secretariat for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and advisor to CONADE – the National Council for the Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Cid authored the book “Entrepreneurship without Borders - An Excellent Path for People with Disabilities”, after becoming quadriplegic in 2007.