Country Advisory Network
Smart Cities for All benefits from a global Country Advisory Network. This network includes unpaid advisors that promote G3ict/SC4All mission through collaboration with local and national governments, civil society, and private sector stakeholders in making global cities more inclusive in the context of the UN SDGs (#11), the UN Habitat III New Urban Agenda, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Country Advisory Network brings to their countries the global work of Smart Cities for All, a broad understanding of accessibility and universal design for technologies and environments, the UN CRPD, and the perspectives of a variety of disabilities.
Abdul Khaliq Zazai
Abdul Khaliq Zazai is a founder and President of the Accessibility Organization for Afghan Disabled (AOAD) located in Kabul (Afghanistan). As Director of AOAD, he is involved in advocacy for disability mainstreaming in government structures, UN, and NGOs since 2003. Mr. Zazai was the first to promote the physical accessibility of the built environment with the idea of Universal Design. He is a national advocate for addressing disability as cross-cutting issue both in Afghanistan and at the international level.
Josefina Ocampo
Josefina Ocampo currently works in the Municipality of San Miguel de Tucumán as an Accessibility Expert Architect and teaches at Universidad Nacional de Tucumán and Universidad de San Pablo-T. Josefina is an advisory member on accessibility and issues related to disability at the Professional College of Architects of Tucuman, Fundación Leon, Fundación Lograr. She has awards and recognitions from Design for All Foundation (Barcelona) and IAUD. She has a Master’s degree in Accessibility for Smart Cities.
Vashkar Bhattacharjee
Vashkar Bhattacharjee is currently working as the National Consultant for Accessibility in the a2i Program of Bangladesh Government. He is also the focal person for DAISY, ABC, Bookshare, Federation of DPO’s Sitakund. He has received UNESCO Prize, Henry Viskardi Achievement Award, and Prime Minister’s award of Bangladesh for his contribution towards the accessibility and inclusion. He is an expert on DIDRM, disability & development, ICTs for development, and e-Accessibility for persons with disability.
Regina Cohen
Regina Cohen is an architect, an associated researcher and a specialist on accessibility. She is the Coordinator of the Accessibility Commission of the Architecture Council (CAU RJ, 2018-2020) and of the Commission of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Ms. Cohen worked in the Project “Accessibility for the Brazilian World Cup 2014” (CNPq), in the Accessibility Manual of the Paralympic Games – RIO 2016 and was also Consultant of Accessibility for the Conference of Sustainability RIO+20.
Marguerite Awoulbe Manga
Marguerite Awoulbe Manga founded such NGOs as Organisation des Femmes et Filles Handicapé Cameroun, Collectif du Personnel Handicapé CNPS, Société Civil du 237. In different times, she was Treasurer of Maison de l’Afrique à Nantes, Commissioner in charge of vulnerability at ADEPT (Africa-Europe Diaspora Development Platform), ex-Departmental Councilor of France Handicap in Loire Atlantique. She has multidisciplinary training, e.g., Strategy and Business Development at ICADEMIE France.
Stan Leyenhorst
Stan Leyenhorst offers an excellent combination of management skills, sales experience and knowledge on accessibility and universal design. The last several years he focused on accessibility in the built environment, performing assessments, preparing and presenting recommendations, educating designers, engineers, and other staff. Stan currently holds a diploma in Universal Design from the IDEA Center at the University of New York in Buffalo, he is also a RHFACTM Professional.
Kristine France Zúñiga
Kristine France Zúñiga is an architect with 17 years of experience in accessibility. She is the Head of Diploma “Architecture and Universal Accessibility” at PUC University, Vice-president of Accessibility Committee of National College of Architects, consultant and member of commissions for accessibility-related laws for national institutions like MINVU, SENADIS, INE, INN. She advised architectural projects and existing buildings for applications of accessibility standards and development of accessible plans.
Gustavo Hincapie
Gustavo Hincapie is a Master in Accessible Technologies from the UOC-Spain, a computer engineer from the University of San Buenaventura and an electronic technologist from SENA in Colombia. He works as a consultant and specialist in digital accessibility with more than 20 years of experience as a designer of comprehensive accessibility models for education, employment, justice, government, transport, and tourism. Gustavo is a Co-founder of the NGO Corporación Discapacidad Colombia and of the company Diseño Universal Tecnoayudas.
Severin Gragba
Severin Gragba is Coordinator of the E-HANDICAP Program at the Ministry of the Digital Economy, Telecommunications and Innovation, Republic of Côte D'Ivoire. He is an expert in accessibility of telecommunications/ICT and through telecommunications/ICT. Member of the committee of experts which developed the ICT accessibility policy in the ECOWAS region (West Africa). Severin has 16 years of hands-on experience in the Ivory Coast and other African countries.
Katherine Michelle Chacón Martínez
Katherine Michelle Chacón Martínez Katherine Michelle Chacón Martínez holds a master's Degree in Urban and Territorial Planning with Specialization in Urban Studies from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain (UPM) and is currently a PhD candidate in Urban Regeneration and Sustainability from (UPM). With extensive experience in universal design and accessibility, she contributed to the development of the "Ecuadorian Methodology for the Development of Universal Accessibility Plans," which received a Zero Project Award. Her technical work also includes areas of accessible heritage, national accessibility diagnosis and even education initiatives with researches. Also, she coordinated the chapter of Inclusive Transport for the Ecuadorian “National Plan of Urban Mobility of Ecuador”. Currently, she works at the Enterprise of Mobility Management of the Municipality of Quito. In parallel, she advises different stakeholders in terms of universal design for built environments and trains municipal and political leaders about regulations of constructions and even urban development methodologies under the CRPD and the New Urban Agenda approach. She is also involved into the development of comprehensive urban operations and the development of regional urban policies such as the Bolivian Urban Agenda with multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, UN HABITAT, IDB, and local governments
Ahmed Abdelhady
Ahmed Abdelhady is an Accessibility and Inclusive Design Evangelist who bridges innovation and practicality. He has worked with the largest global enterprises, startups, and everything in between. His focus is on creating seamless and inclusive digital products and services. Ahmed is the first in the Middle East to hold the CPWA certification from IAAP.
Ahmed is the Head of Accessibility and Digital Inclusion at AxessAll, a former Usability and Accessibility Subject Matter Expert at Apple, Usability and Accessibility Senior Consultant at AbilityNet, and Experience Design Lead at IBM, among other roles.
Georgina Naigulevu
Georgina Naigulevu brings over 20 years of work experience in the Pacific information technology sector with advanced expertise in digital inclusion, community-based training, and co-design. Georgina is a strong advocate for the rights of people with disabilities in the digital age. Through her experience managing national and regional projects and providing digital technical advisory services, Georgina has developed a diverse network of authentic relationships in Fiji and across the Pacific, including with regional and national Organizations of Persons with Disabilities. In particular, she is a trusted advocate for communities and organizations, demonstrated through her leadership and governance positions in Fiji Disabled Persons Foundation and Women’s Fund Fiji. Georgina works to mainstream equity and inclusion, particularly for people with disabilities, and supports the co-design of community development projects by drawing on her deep knowledge and experience of Pacific culture to drive localized stakeholder engagement and participation.
Tamar Makharashvili
Tamar Makharashvili is a Founder and Director of the Parsa Inclusive Tourism Center, an affiliated member of European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). She has been working in the non-governmental sector to support the introduction, advocacy, and raising awareness of accessibility standards, access audits, universal design, and sustainable and inclusive tourism development in Georgia since 2010. Tamar is a member of the Tbilisi Municipality City Hall Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. She is the co-author of publications in inclusive tourism, universal design, and accessibility standards. The latest one, “Inclusive Cities Urban Area Guidelines” provides universal design solutions, accessibility standards, and case studies on inclusive urban development.
Derick Omari
Derick Omari is an award-winning social entrepreneur and consultant with expertise in technology, entrepreneurship, education, accessibility, and disability. He leads Tech Era, a technology-based social enterprise to build accessible hardware & software products and provides digital training for persons with disabilities to bridge accessibility gaps.
Derick is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals and a certified Google Chrome Accessibility Expert. He has provided accessibility and disability consultancy to several international development organizations including GIZ, UNDP, FCDO, etc.
Derick has recently been appointed as the National Consultant for the United Nations on Disability to lead the development of a country-level strategic plan to re-enact the national disability act.
Derick is a Leading Change Scholar from Cambridge University in the UK. He is also a Chevening scholar with a distinction in MSc Disability Design and Innovation taught across the University College of London, University College of Fashion & Loughborough University. He won the Presidential Award while completing his undergrad at Ashesi University in Ghana.
Derick received the prestigious Queens Young Leaders Award in 2018 from Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, of blessed memory at Buckingham Palace. He has received numerous awards and recognition, including two times most influential young African in Science and Technology, the MTN young hero of Change, and The Future Awards Africa Prize in Nigeria.
Gabriela Matus Bonilla
Gabriela Matus Bonilla is an industrial designer from Guatemala with a Postgraduate in Accessibility and Design for All from Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. She is passionate about accessibility, inclusion and social impact. She is Co-founder of Colectivo de Accesibilidad, S.A and has worked as a consultant in different projects related with accessibility in built environments and universal design in Guatemala working closely with local companies, organizations and international cooperation entities based in the country.
Subhash Chandra Vashishth
Subhash Chandra Vashishth is an Accessibility, Universal Design & Diversity Inclusion Specialist, working on standards, capacity building, access audits & advocacy. As an Expert Member on Bureau of Indian Standards Committees for National Building Code & Smart Cities, he has contributed to standards formulation incorporating universal accessibility. He litigates disability rights cases before judicial forums, lectures in architecture & engineering institutions & is empaneled as Trainer for Access Audits as a part of Accessible India Campaign. He is Founder Director of Centre for Accessibility in Built Environment Foundation based in India.
Eoin O'Herlihy
Eoin O’Herlihy is a Chartered Engineer, an independent accessibility and Universal Design consultant/trainer and Managing Director of O’Herlihy Access Consultancy (OHAC). Eoin has over 18 years’ international experience advising on Universal Design and accessibility is an IAAP Level 3 Certified Expert Accessibility Professional in Accessible Built Environment. He is passionate about accessibility and making all aspects of society more accessible and usable for everyone. Eoin recognises that the barriers faced by people with disabilities and other user groups come in many forms (physical, attitudinal, technological, communication, transport, and employment) and aims to support organisations around the world to remove these barriers and create a more inclusive society.
Paul Mugambi Mwenda
Paul Mugambi Mwenda is a public policy scholar and diversity and inclusion expert with more than 16 years of experience in development and humanitarian spheres. He is a graduate of the Australia national university. He is an inclusive communication expert, a digital accessibility tester and also an accessibility evangelist. Paul runs a social enterprise called Disability Sausage in the media field as well as a consultancy which is a policy research and advocacy think tank. He conducts accessibility audits and offers technical advice and support to different interagency forums and technical working groups. He is the first and only Blind cricket player in east Africa.
Zainab AlMeraj
Zainab AlMeraj is an accessibility advocate and a certified professional in Digital Accessibility (CPACC) and Usability and User Experience (UXQB). She has earned degrees in computer engineering, computer science, passionate about human rights and research-based impact and has established multiple tech grass roots initiatives in Kuwait focused on youth empowerment and skill advancement. Zainab is currently an associate professor at Kuwait University and advocates inclusive web and mobile design and development at national and institutional levels.
Ahmed El-Rida
Ahmed El-Rida is an architect and urban planner who had a keen interest in the area of accessibility for the past 36 years. He is graduate of the University of Benghazi and has focused his work on creating an understanding of a Design for All approach through his private firm ATTYSEER. ATTAYSEER is one of the very few companies in the North African and Arab regions, which specializes in accessibility consulting and was the first to promote accessibility and Design for All in Libya.
Andres Balcazar
Andres Balcazar is an architect and accessibility and disability consultant for national and international organizations from the private, public and civil society sectors. He currently works for the Mexican Human Rights Commission as Director of Disability Affairs. His latest international assignments include participation in the development of the Kuwait Universal Design Code in 2017 and coordinating GAATES team for developing the Dubai Universal Accessibility Strategy and Action Plan in 2016.
Ariunzul Liijuu-Ochir
Ariunzul Liijuu-Ochir holds certification as a Professional in Accessibility Core Competence (CPACC). She is a co-founder and board member of the Adina-Equal Opportunity NGO, dedicated to enhancing educational and employment accessibility for individuals with disabilities. In the past year, Ariunzul led a successful research initiative in collaboration with fellow researchers and the UNESCO-Beijing Office, evaluating the internet landscape in Mongolia.
Currently, Ariunzul contributes voluntarily as a Steering Committee member to UNESCO, actively working towards improving ROAM-X indicators. Her commitment to fostering equal and quality education for Mongolian children dates back to 2013. Over the past few years, her focus has centered on promoting accessibility, inclusion, and diversity in education and information and communication technology (ICT). She passionately advocates for these causes among parents, schools, civil societies, and decision-makers.
Ariunzul earned her master's degree in Inclusive and Special Needs Education from the School of Education at the University of Bristol in the UK.
Nasser Kettani
Nasser Kettani is a graduate from Orsay University (France) in Cognitive Science & AI with more than 30 years of international experience and former Microsoft CTO for MEA. He is technologist, digital transformation consultant, ExO Coach, Certified DPO, teacher, author, entrepreneur. Nasser advises private and public sector institutions through their Digital Transformation journey as well as policy and regulatory engagements.
Deepak Khatri Chhetri
Deepak Khatri Chhetri is an architect and an active leader in the disability movement and a founding member of Independent Living Center Kathmandu, which leads Nepal’s efforts for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. He is a registered life member of the Society of Nepalese Architects and the Nepal Engineering Association. In addition, he is an active member of National Paralympic Committee and currently serves as its deputy secretary-general.
Chandra Harrison
Chandra Harrison holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction and has dedicated over twenty years to working with businesses to help them implement accessible and user-friendly digital interfaces. She has taught accessibility at the university level, both in the UK and New Zealand, where she is currently based after returning from Europe. During her time in the UK, she served as the Accessibility Representative for the User Experience Professionals Association.
Chandra combines her personal experience with chronic illness and ADHD, her theoretical knowledge gained during her PhD, and her extensive industry experience to offer practical solutions that make a tangible impact. She is passionate about conducting research, especially with individuals with disabilities, and has presented her work at international conferences, authored chapters in books, and lectured at various universities in the UK. Chandra is the founder of Access Advisors, a digital accessibility consultancy dedicated to helping clients understand the repercussions of poor design on assistive tech users and guiding them in making improvements.
Muhammad Atif Sheikh
Muhammad Atif Sheikh is the Executive Director of STEP (Special Talent Exchange Program), a cross-disability national organization based in Pakistan striving for the rights of persons with disabilities. He has served as the first Chairperson of the South Asian Disability Forum (SADF), a network of DPOs from seven countries from the South Asian region. He has been proclaimed as Promoter for the Incheon Strategy for the Asia Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities 2013-22 by UNESCAP.
John Paul Cruz
John Paul Cruz specializes in disability policy. He has a decade of experience working with governments, civil society organizations, and organizations of persons with disabilities within and outside the Philippines to make public services, resources, and spaces accessible for people with disabilities and older persons. Mr. Cruz was a member of a task force that developed a disability action plan to mainstream disability rights across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Anatoliy Popko
Anatoliy Popko leads “Dialogue in the Dark” Moscow team and consults Bank of Russia and other prominent financial, cultural, and government institutions. Mr. Popko is a co-author of Russian national standard on digital accessibility based on WCAG 2.1. Accessible ICT and effective communication are two passions, thus he advocates for the blind in the form of standup comedy aimed at volunteers and intense reasonable arguments with corporate and government officials.
Victor Zhuang
Victor Zhuang
holds a PhD in Disability Studies and is currently a research fellow at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University. His current project delves into the intersections of disability and emerging technologies. He is also working on a book project, based on his PhD research, examining the workings of inclusion in Singapore. He hopes to use his research to contribute to current debates about how inclusion happens both in Singapore and around the world. Victor is also a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) accredited by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.
Colette Fransolet
Colette Fransolet works as a Universal Access Consultant in the built environment and has consulted all over the globe in her more than 15 years of experience. Her areas of proficiency includes accessibility auditing, UA project consulting, standard and guideline development as well as training. She serves on international board committees and councils for accessibility and she holds the highest level of certification in accessibility of the built environment by the IAAP.
Delfín Jiménez
Delfín Jiménez has a PhD in Architecture and is an expert consultant in accessibility in the physical environment with more than twenty years of experience. He authored several publications on urban accessibility. He participates in several international projects on standardization for ISO, CEN-CENELEC and UNE. Delfin is also a professor of Accessibility and Universal Design and a member of ASEPAU (Spanish Association of Universal Accessibility Professionals).
Thalagodage Janitha Rukmal
Thalagodage Janitha Rukmal is a development professional on accessible and inclusive digital and physical infrastructure. He is a co-founder of Enable Lanka Foundation (ELF) network dedicated to empowering PWD towards mainstreaming disability inclusion in Sri Lanka. Rukmal is the first and only Sri Lankan to receive NVDA expert certification so far. He is the author of a policy publication on political rights and representation of persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka. Rukmal has proactively been engaged with international organizations including UN agencies, as a consultant and an advisor on disability, both in national and regional levels.
Nada Alksebati
Nada Alksebati has a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Architecture from the Central Scientific Research and Designing Institute of the Model and Experimental Design of Dwelling, Moscow, USSR and has a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from Damascus University, Syria. She is an author of a book titled: “Design Spaces for the Disabled” published by Damascus University and is a Professor in the University of Damascus, Faculty of Architectural Engineering.
Mehmet Emin Demirci
Mehmet Emin Demirci is a Vice-President of the Confederation of the Disabled of Turkey. He has an undergraduate degree in Sociology and a graduate degree in Adult Education from Bosphorus University. Emin has extensive experience in promoting digital accessibility in Turkey in close collaboration with both public and private agencies. He has worked with expert teams to localize in Turkish software for the blind and helped to extend the use of digital technology among the blind. Over the years, Emin has worked with national and international organizations of and for the blind and attended many conferences aimed at addressing the challenges faced by blind and low vision people. Emin is affiliated with the Istanbul City ICT Accessibility Commission, the European Disability Forum (EDF) as a delegate of Turkey, and the World Blind Union (WBU) as a national delegate.
Ronald Kasule
Ronald Kasule is a disability rights activist with a passion to facilitate the effective participation of persons with disabilities in the mainstream of community life. He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Diversity Ability Support Network System (Dasuns), a social enterprise company that facilitates access to professional support services for persons with disabilities. He has also been supporting the Disability Inclusion within the UN system in Uganda with over 15 years of experience working with OPDs at international, regional, and local levels, as well as working with different governmental MDAs on disability issues
Maisa Obeid
Maisa Obeid is an accessibility specialist with nearly 12 years’ experience in Assistive Technology and Accessibility. For a decade, she has been working with government and private organizations to promote Universal Design Standards and ensure disability inclusion. At present, Maisa is Accessibility Technology Specialist for Zayed University and is also continuing her PhD graduate studies in e-Research & Technology Enhanced Learning with focus on digital accessibility at University of Lancaster (UK).
In 2019, GAATES, the Global Alliance for Accessible Technologies and Environments, and G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs, announced a definitive agreement under which GAATES chose to redeploy its activities under the Smart Cities for All global initiative.
