2/19 Webinar: Designing Public Landscapes for Disabled Access

The Olmsted Network's next webinar explores how historic landscapes can improve access for people with disabilities.

On Thursday, February 19, the Olmsted Network invites you to Designing Belonging: Inclusive Access in Public Landscapes, the next installment in our popular Conversations with Olmsted webinar series. Frederick Law Olmsted designed parks as social infrastructure, meant to serve the widest public possible. This webinar makes that ideal explicit, exploring how accessibility design fosters dignity, agency, and participation in parks and other public spaces today. Through case studies and critical perspectives, panelists will consider how historic landscapes can adapt to contemporary access needs without losing their historic character or civic purpose.

Speakers include:

• Austin Allen, Moderator (he/him)

A member of our Olmsted Council, Dr. Austin Allen, ASLA, is Principal and Project Manager at DesignJones LLC in New Orleans and Arlington, TX, with over 17 years in community recovery work, including projects in New Orleans and Jacmel, Haiti. He's an associate professor of practice and Associate Dean at the University of Texas at Arlington's School of Architecture, an independent filmmaker, and a contributor to Black Landscapes Matter. He earned the UC Berkeley Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017.

• Kai Lawrence (he/him)

Kai Lawrence is the Environmental Programs Manager at Fort Greene Park Conservancy in Brooklyn. He leads environmental education, volunteer, and community programs in the historic Olmsted and Vaux park, connecting community input, stewardship, and programming to keep the park welcoming for all.

Fort Greene Park Conservancy's anticipated capital project highlights the challenges of balancing historic preservation with modern accessibility. By redesigning pathways and entrances to meet ADA standards and carefully replacing select trees with new native trees, the project provides a clear example of how Olmsted's vision can be thoughtfully adapted for today's diverse park users.

• Alexa Vaughn, ASLA, FAAR (she/her)

Alexa Vaughn is a Deaf landscape designer and accessibility specialist at Sasaki, and the founder of Design with Disabled People Now. Her work centers disabled lived experience in the design of public landscapes, advocating for inclusive processes that move beyond minimum ADA compliance. A PhD student in Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA, Vaughn's research and practice explore how accessibility, communication, and belonging shape the built environment.

• Finnegan Shannon (they/them)

Finnegan Shannon is a Brooklyn-based artist and writer whose work centers disability culture and critiques the built environment. Through projects such as Anti-Stairs Club Lounge and Do You Want Us Here or Not?, they examine how architecture and public space shape access, rest, and participation. Their practice challenges compliance-driven approaches to accessibility, asking how public landscapes, including parks, can better support dignity, agency, and belonging.

This event is free with registration and will take place via Zoom at 3 pm EST on Thursday, February 19. Register at Olmsted.org!

We are committed to making this webinar accessible to everyone. Live captions will be provided via Zoom transcription. If you have specific accessibility needs or require accommodations, please let us know when you register.