CAE Associates

CAE has a dedicated team of associate consultants who are accredited members of the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC) or have equivalent experience.

Ann Sawyer B. Arch, Dip. Arch

Ann Sawyer is an architect and access consultant and has been involved in inclusive design for over 25 years. She has worked on a wide variety of projects and has extensive experience covering design, audit and management of accessible built environments and training in access, inclusive design and disability issues. Ann is an experienced trainer and delivers CAE’s popular access auditing courses. Ann is the author of Historic England’s guidance publication Easy Access to Historic Buildings (2014) and The Access Manual (3rd ed. 2014). Panel memberships include South East Regional Design Review Panel, Urban Design London design surgeon, London Development Agency Design Advisors Panel, CABE Schools Design Review Panel, CABE Enabling Panel, expert advisor to Heritage Lottery Fund, Building Regulations Technical Committees and British Standards committee.

Keith Garner, RIBA, NRAC Consultant

Keith Garner is an architect who combines experience of access and inclusivity with a knowledge historic buildings and cultural heritage. He has worked with CAE since 1995 and has carried out access audits and design appraisals on a range of projects. He has been an adviser to Historic Royal Palaces and the National Trust (Wessex Region) advising on heritage and access issues. Keith is the CAE’s principal advisor for works at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, including the award-winning Painted Hall, which opened in 2019. Keith also the access consultant for the award-winning Royal Academy of Music.

Vin Goodwin, BSc, NRAC Consultant

Vin has a BSc in architecture and has been a specialist in the area of access and inclusion since 1997. His work has covered residential and non-residential schemes ranging in size from small community scale to large, high profile schemes such as Wembley Stadium, National Assembly for Wales, London Olympic Aquatics Centre and the London Olympic Park and Public Realm. Vin has a passion for training, believing that the best way to create truly inclusive environments is to encourage everyone to gain an understanding and knowledge of the issues and barriers many people face, while still enabling designers to create beautiful, well-designed environments. In addition to providing training for CAE in Disability and Access awareness, Accessible Housing design and Dementia-friendly environments, Vin is co-trainer for CAE’s popular course in Access Auditing and the Equality Act.

Brenda Puech, B Arch, NRAC Consultant

Brenda is a highly experienced and qualified inclusive design consultant, previously an architect, with over fourteen years’ experience in the sector and a wide range of experience providing access consultancy to private and public sector clients on commercial, residential, institutional, external environments and public realm projects. Brenda has extensive experience of access auditing (including many audits and design appraisals for the City Bridge Trust). She is a Design Council Expert Associate on Inclusive Design. She has spoken at a number of international and national conferences on inclusive design. Brenda can also deliver CPD and training on inclusive design.

Chris Harrowell, Dip Arch (Hons), NRAC Consultant

Chris is an architect and access consultant with a thorough and practical approach to inclusive design and access to the built environment at strategic, design, development, implementation and review stages. Chris has significant experience of working on access projects, audits, design appraisals, access statements, involvement in design teams, project implementation and training. Projects include education, arts, health, local authority, police, defence, commercial, voluntary, leisure, tourism, residential, heritage, transport, external environment. Chris has a specialist interest in access for deaf and hard of hearing people and is a Member of the Access Association and the Inclusive Hotels Network. He is a Civic Trust Awards Inclusive Design Assessor and Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.

Caroline Lewis, BSc (Hons), Post-Grad DipTP, NRAC Consultant

Caroline is an experienced NRAC access consultant. She has provided inclusive design advice on legislation, standards and guidance within built, pedestrian and transport environments for over 20 years. Caroline provides high-level consultancy and training services, backed by policy and research expertise. Major clients have included Sydney Opera House, Welsh Government, UBS Group, Network Rail and University of West England. Much of Caroline’s work is focused around user involvement, engagement and training, working alongside major charities such as RNIB, Guide Dogs, Disability Wales and Vision Australia, as well as local access and disability groups. She is an accomplished trainer on a wide range of access and inclusion topics to varied audiences including; Royal Institute of British Architects and the Australian Institute of Architects. She currently sits on the Access Association’s National Council, is a Design Council Expert – Associate and an Expert on the governments High Streets Task Force.

Carol Thomas, MBE, Access Consultant & Trainer

Carol Thomas is an internationally experienced access consultant combining extensive knowledge of the access and mobility requirements of disabled and older people with professional planning and environmental assessment skills, to provide achievable, practical inclusive design and management solutions. With over 30 years’ experience promoting inclusion, Carol has a proven track record of delivering high quality access consultancy and training services backed up by her expertise in policy, strategy, research and standards development.

Ron Koorm, Retired NRAC Consultant

Ron is a retired access consultant and Chartered building surveyor. He has worked in both Local Authorities and private practice. Ron was co-author for the Equality and Inclusive Environment Glossary for the RICS in 2012. Ron ran his own access and building-surveying practice for nine years, writes for The Access Association Journal, and is a published author and lecturer.

Brian Taggart, MSc, Dip OSH, CMIOSH, NRAC Consultant

Brian has an architectural background and uses this experience to advise clients on the accessibility of designs and their impact on disabled visitors and staff. He has extensive experience in carrying out accessibility appraisals for museum projects having worked on the Burrell Museum, Oldham Coliseum and the Oman ‘Museum across Ages’ project. Brian has been involved in a wide-ranging project for the Scottish Government funded Scottish Disability Equality Forum (SDEF), providing training to local disability access panels throughout Scotland. He also is an External Examiner for the Post Graduate Certificate in Inclusive Environmental Access & Design at Heriot Watt University.

Barry Ginley, MBA

Barry studied at the University of Reading, gaining an MSc in Inclusive Environments Design and Management in 2005; and in September 2017, Barry graduated with an Executive MBA from Henley Business School, being the first blind person to gain the Henley qualification. Barry is a member of the Built Environment Access Panels for the London Legacy Development Corporation and Network Rail; former advisor to the UK governments Paralympic Legacy Advisory Group; and sits on the board of the Global Disability Innovation Hub.

David Biggins, MSc, NRAC Auditor

David has been working in access since 2011 and has provided access audit and advisory services to the private, public and third sectors, including NHS Hospitals and other health buildings, retail and leisure outlets, Sports stadia, children’s respite centres and dementia friendly environments. Projects include access audits, training delivery, design appraisals, inclusive design strategy setting and wayfinding system audit and development. Prior to working in the access field David had a clinical background in the NHS for over 20 years. He has worked as an access professional for the last 10 years and has undertaken numerous access audits and worked alongside design teams, architects, engineering teams and disability networks in designing and the delivery of accessible and inclusive built environments for everyone.

Dee Tunc, IOSH Technical Member, NRAC Auditor

Dee has 20 years’ experience carrying out access audits in a large variety of sectors, from commercial office blocks, museums, religious buildings, recreation parks, and pubs. She is also experienced in design appraisals, working with clients from RIBA Stage 3, finding pragmatic solutions to design issues, and producing Access Statements for submission to local authorities for clients seeking planning permission. Dee has worked with clients on development of their access policies and strategies, mainly clients managing large portfolio of properties. This work is complimented by Dee’s knowledge of Fire Safety and she has been involved in the Development of Fire Evacuation Strategies for all, and specifically PEEPS.

Dee is a proficient trainer approved by IOSH and City & Guilds and also organises inclusive events for families with additional needs children in the natural environment.

Mark Rose, Sign Consultant

Mark has been working closely with the RNIB since 1994. He developed the RNIB Bulletin Sheet 24 on accessible signage, and was a member of the Sign Design Guide committee and co-writer of the RNIB Sign Design Guide. The Sign Design Guide is now used as the standard for accessible signage with direct references in BS8300 2018 and used as a reference guide for the Equality Act (Formally DDA) for accessible signs. Mark has been working on the development of Braille and tactile signage for over 25 years. Mark was also Consultant for the RNIB in the development of Bristol’s Legible City project, involved with the product development for RNIB Map For All, and has delivered lectures for the Tactile Signs Module at Reading University. Mark has worked closely with a number of designers and end users to ensure proposed design and information offers accessibility and legibility for all users including blind and partially sighted.

Jane Simpson, Architect and NRAC access Consultant

Jane is a chartered Architect and registered access consultant on the National Register of Access Consultants. She has 27 years’ experience in inclusion providing advice on a broad range of issues, often clarifying complex aspects of equality legislation. Her breadth of her knowledge includes; development of an estate wide Access Standard, training of professionals and projects including, refurbishment, listed buildings and new build projects. She has contributed to the development of Inclusive Design Practices and standards, nationally and internationally. Jane is a member of the Selwyn Goldsmith Awards Judging Panel, and contributes to the Royal Institute of British Architects as Specialist Practice Advisor on Access, representing them on the British Standard Institute for BS8300, BS9266 and BS8579.

Lynda Deane MSc Inclusive Environments

Lynda is an interior designer, trainer and access auditor. Lynda has an MSc from University of Reading in Inclusive Environments: Design and management. Her background ensures she pays meticulous attention to detail, with the aim to solving design issues in an objective manner. Lynda has worked on design appraisals and auditing within the UK and in Ireland since 2004. Projects include a broad range of environments e.g. education, offices, courts, local authority, arts, day care, leisure complex, residential, heritage and external environments.

Judi Watkinson, MCSD, NRAC Consultant

Judi is a practicing interior designer and access consultant with over 30 years’ experience in commercial and residential projects, with a particular passion for inclusive design. She is experienced in carrying out desktop architectural design reviews, prior to construction and designing best practice interior spaces. Judi demonstrates a good understanding of how the Equality Act 2010 integrates with the built environment, is a member of the Chartered Society of Designers and a consultant member of the National Register of Access Consultants.

Marney Walker, DipCOT, MA Inclusive Design

Marney is an independent occupational therapist specialising in the design of inclusive and accessible housing. She has over 25 years’ experience in housing and social care. Core to her practice is an understanding of the impact of the environment on health and wellbeing, and ensuring that homes are accessible, adaptable and care ready. She has specialist experience in the interpretation and application of ADM and BS8300 and best practice in design of new build and retrofit housing. She developed a webpage of resources for Housing LIN, and is co-author of ‘Adaptations Without Delay’ (2019). She is an Inclusive Design Assessor for the Civic Trust, member of the Access Association and a Northern Region representative for the Royal College of Occupational Therapy -Specialist Section in Housing. She is conducting research for her PhD on the Lab4Living 100 year life and the future project at Sheffield Hallam University, investigating retention of aesthetic preference in dementia.

Jacquel Runnalls, DipCOT, MSc Accessibility & Inclusive Design

Jacquel is a specialist housing occupational therapist with over twenty years’ experience of working within the field of housing and accessible, inclusive design. Jacquel provides expert advice on the design of wheelchair accessible housing and is one of the co-authors of Habinteg’s 3rd Edition Wheelchair Housing Design Guide. She also provides expert advice for other accessible and supported housing and the public realm such as health buildings, hotels and offices. Jacquel has an MSc in Accessibility and Inclusive Design. She is the Royal College of Occupational Therapist’s Specialist Section in Housing’s Lead on Access and Inclusive Design, and is a member of the Access Association and Inclusive Hotels Network.

Darryl Smith

With a background in Local Government (Planning & Building Control) and voluntary sector roles Darryl is an EDI practitioner with extensive experience in policy development. Having worked for many years in the award-winning Strategic Disability Partnership, Darryl is skilled in and passionate about the value of partnership working. His current substantive role involves working with user led organisations, finding solutions to support independence, including recent work on place-based EDI planning to bring about systemic change by Acting as One across the region. Darryl’s experience provides him with a thorough understanding of the interdependence between health, social care and housing and has a keen drive to develop solutions that recognise this interplay to ensure inclusive outcomes. He has extensive experience in policy work on Health and Wellbeing issues including: Clean Air, Housing Standards,  Accessible Information, Inclusive Partnerships, Mobility & Inclusion. Darryl has been president of the Access Association and has served on advisory groups and parliamentary roundtables bringing local practical experience and contributing solutions to inclusive place making policy.  As a Design Council Expert, he served on the High Streets Task Force which supports communities and Local Government to transform their high streets.

Vidya Nathan, BSc

Vidya is trained in access and inclusive design and also an Access Association member. In the access and inclusion space, Vidya’s experience includes built environment and digital accessibility checks, consulting, co-delivering workshops and training, research, analysis, report-writing, accessibility user testing as well as virtual & in-person presentations and public speaking. As an individual who is severely sight impaired, Vidya understands the value and importance of inclusivity and accessibility and is passionate about making a difference and breaking down barriers. She utilises her lived experience, skills and knowledge to drive the change to create a universally accessible and more inclusive world.

Katy McLeod

Katy is an Associate Disability Access Consultant with the Centre for Accessible Environments and was a member of their first cohort of their Pathways training programme. Katy has worked in live events for over a decade and is passionate about access and inclusion regarding disability, Deaf and LGBTQ+ communities.

Raheem Diaz

As an Associate Auditor with CAE, Raheem helps clients to build and foster a more inclusive environment in line with access standards and best practice. His lived experience inspired him to train with CAE’s Pathways Academy programme and specialise in access and inclusion. With a background in the third sector, anti-ableism training and auditing, Raheem has extensive experience in supporting organisations to commit to accessibility, with a particular passion for disability inclusion in faith and community spaces. He is a member of the UK Access Association, and current Chair of the Trustee Board at Inclusive Mosque Initiative.