ITE Toronto is pleased to invite you to an in-person workshop partnered with CNIB on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 10:00am to 2:00pm ET hosted at the CNIB building, located at 1929 Bayview Avenue, Level 2, Room MR-220 Boardroom. This workshop will feature a panelist of speakers to discuss accessibility requirements and needs to consider in transportation infrastructure design from the perspectives of leading experts in the industry, academic institution, public sector and the CNIB community.  A Q&A session will follow the presentations, and lunch will be provided to attendees. We will end the event with a walking tour within the neighbourhood area of the CNIB building to further address accessibility concerns within existing pedestrian zones and road infrastructure, so please wear sensible shoes and clothing suitable to the weather. The walking tour is optional to attendees but highly encouraged. Registration closes on May 15^th at noon, so get your ticket while quantities last!

• Agenda:
  • 10-10:20am | Social Networking, Setup, Guest Arrivals
  • 10:20-10:30am | Introduction
  • 10:30-12:00pm | Panelist Presentations
  • 12:00-12:30pm | Q&A
  • 12:30-1pm | Lunch
  • 1-2pm | Walking Tour and Closing

• Sponsorship:
  • Gold Sponsor ($500) Sponsors are invited to bring a roll-up board with a banner stand (24″ to 33″ x80″) to promote their transportation services. Their company’s logo will be included in the luncheon presentation and recognized verbally in the proceedings. As well, one free individual member registration will be included.
  • Silver Sponsor ($300) Company logo will be included in the luncheon presentation and the company will be recognized verbally in the proceedings.

Presenters

Lorene Casiez, BScN, MN, BDes, WELL AP, RHFAC – Accessibility Project Lead, Human Space

Lorene coordinates and manages all aspects of the accessibility practice including team operations, project delivery and client relationships. She ensures that we maintain a high level of accessibility in all of our projects and steers the practice towards projects that will have a meaningful impact. She strategically analyzes the market and our clients’ needs, while also contributing her technical expertise on accessibility requirements and inclusive design strategies to a range of projects. Lorene is also able to advise clients how to optimize their built environments for human health and happiness.

Her passion for wellbeing and inclusion derives from her background in public health and nursing. It is her goal to impress upon designers and property owners the importance of creating environments that can be enjoyed by all and to help apply the lens of inclusion to all decisions made about a project. Lorene has led complex building accessibility audits, consulted on large-scale design projects for all building types and has created numerous universal design guidelines. Her experience includes working with interdisciplinary teams that include real estate developers, architecture firms, municipalities and government bodies.

Mary Ann Bent – Manager, Accessible Navigation & Wayfinding, CNIB

Mary Ann is a pioneer in the world of navigation and wayfinding for people who are blind or partially sighted, with a practiced art for designing and installing workable solutions. She leads the CNIB Frontier Accessibility Navigation and Wayfinding effort, and its goal to make the built environment accessible for all”

 Pina Mallozzi, BLA, MLA – Senior VP, Design, Waterfront Toronto

Pina Mallozzi is the Senior Vice President, Design at Waterfront Toronto. She is responsible for the planning and design of a large portfolio of projects which includes the revitalization of Queens Quay, the Gardiner East EA and Public Realm Plan and other parks and public spaces emerging on the waterfront. She has worked closely with consultant teams and community stakeholders for over fifteen years in order to ensure that Waterfront Toronto’s vision for vibrant, well-designed communities and public spaces is realized. She is a Landscape Architect with a Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard University.

Dr. Juan Pernia – Associate Professor, Lakehead University

Juan C. Pernia holds a BS in Civil Engineering from La Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela, and a MSc and PhD of Civil Engineering from the University of South Florida, USA. Dr. Pernia is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada. His areas of research include Accessibility in Transportation, Highway Safety, Traffic Operations and Pavement Performance. Dr. Pernia is currently working on projects related to the accessibility of people with vision loss at roundabouts and floating bus stops.

Debbie Gillespie – CNIB

A passionate and professional Accessibility Consultant with over 20 years of lived experience and expertise in the fields of digital accessibility, policy development and navigational wayfinding pertaining to the built environment. Focusing on user requirements, strategies, and techniques utilized by people living with sight loss, a strong advocate, advisor and change maker.