Inclusive Design
The 2022 campaign
What does it mean to design for inclusivity? What does an inclusive space look like? How does inclusion inform our practice? These are the questions we asked as part of SMBW’s 2022 Shine the Light program centered around the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.
What began as a renovation of VCIC’s office became much larger. Alongside our partners at Creative, Steelcase, and GraphixFab, we transformed VCIC’s space in a way that would foster collaboration and support their work. While SMBW offered our design expertise, VCIC provided insightful guidance, input, and leadership in the content and direction of the Shine the Light program.
Throughout the 2022 program, we engaged in training sessions, research endeavors, interviews, and round-table discussions around what it means to be an inclusive space and how to foster inclusion in the workplace.
We’re proud that the Shine the Light Campaign was a finalist in the 2022 SMPS Marketing Communications Awards! View our submission HERE.
VCIC
The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities was born out of a 1935 grassroots movement against anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic sentiment, and have been making spaces more inclusive and welcome for all people since.
VCIC’s customized professional development and consulting services help organizations from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies maximize teamwork, retention, collaboration, and inclusive decision making. VCIC provides crisis support and training to elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, businesses, and houses of worship.
Webinar
Hosted and moderated by SMBW, this webinar was the last installment in our exploration into inclusive design strategies.
We were joined by community + design partners with unique perspectives on everything from accessibility to furniture design to workplace programming. In this dialogue, we explored what makes a space inclusive and the significance of inclusive design.
Meet the Panelists
Keri Abrams
Mechanic + Community Advocate/Leader
Karla Almendarez-Ramos
Manager
City of Richmond: Immigrant and Refugee Engagement
Charm Bullard
Senior Advisor to the CEO
Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities
Matthew Shapiro
CEO + Founder
6 Wheels Consulting, LLC
Kamara Sudberry
Leader of Inclusive Design
Steelcase
Scholarship
SMBW is committed to the education of emerging design talent. Over the past 30 years, the firm has focused on connecting with the academic community to mentor, collaborate, and support student work through internships and externships, open studios, critiques, mentoring, teaching, and scholarship opportunities. With this annual scholarship, we hope to inspire and support the next generation of creative leaders and expand access to design educations.
For the 2022 scholarship, design students answered the question: How can designers foster inclusivity in the physical space?
Meet the winner of the 2021 scholarship HERE
Research
Our research and interviews on inclusive spaces and inclusive design.
Resources
Don’t take our word for it; check out these books, articles, and organizations who are experts in inclusive design.
