This month we are honoring the history, achievements, culture, and ongoing advocacy of people with disabilities. This is our third episode celebrating Disability Pride Month. Today, we're privileged to speak with Dr. Jutta Treviranus, a true pioneer in inclusive design. As the director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) at OCAD University in Toronto, Dr. Treviranus has been instrumental in shaping global accessibility laws and influencing the tech standards that major companies use.

She has been constantly pushing the limits of what genuinely inclusive digital environments can be. Among her many achievements, she's been honored with the prestigious AI for Good - DEI AI Leader of the Year Award from Women in AI. Her entire approach is built on advocating for those whose experiences don't fit the "average" mold.

In this episode, you'll learn about her "human starburst" metaphor and how it's changing design philosophy, why focusing on diversity at the edges of a system actually makes those systems more resilient and adaptable and what it really takes to confront bias in the age of AI. Dr. Treviranus shares powerful stories from the trenches, showing how inclusive design is a powerful driver for innovation that ultimately benefits us all.



In This Episode:

[02:22] Inclusive Design or the Canadian School of Inclusive Design is focused on an understanding that diversity is our greatest asset and inclusion is our greatest challenge.

[03:28] The "human starburst" is a growing data set of what people need to thrive.

[04:52] In the middle there's a cluster of 80% of the needs of all the population, the remaining 20% of the needs are distributed from that. The needs in the middle are more similar the further apart ones are different.

[06:08] Most products designed are for the 80%.

[07:22] The unexplored terrain leaves room for innovation.

[08:01] The Canadian school starts at the edge and designs for those where things aren't working. It creates an adaptive environment.

[09:17] Why inclusive design is critical in our digital age. We are replicating the same pattern instead of transforming. If we design our systems for people that are struggling, we will create things that work for us.

[10:52] The inclusive masters program launched at OCAD University back in 2010. They wanted to ensure it meant the largest range of needs.

[13:08] What Jutta feels are her significant contributions to inclusive design.

[13:30] She's proud of the students who take this mindset and expand it and the organic growth of a new way of looking at things.

[16:17] We learn about IDRC's We Count project. By the time chat GPT came out AI was already affecting major critical decisions in everyone's life.

[17:27] If we continue this pattern we'll do quite a bit of harm to ourselves and outliers. Such as AI hiring where there's a pattern for the optimal employee. This can amplify discrimination already present and lead to monocultures.

[19:29] It's a statistical reasoning machine with no guidance and nothing filtered out. Jutta is trying to address the needs of people who are vulnerable and most harmed by these systems.

[21:31] There's an uptick in collateral damage to people who aren't like the average, including iatrogenic death and illness.

[23:01] We Count is trying to invert the algorithm and look for different perspectives.

[25:48] We Count has been in existence since 2016.

[28:07] The importance of engaging the intended beneficiaries and the people who have the most difficulty with whatever you're designing.

[29:40] What tech transfer students should know about innovation and inclusion to ensure innovations are accessible and beneficial to the widest audience.

[31:13] Engaging more with the community will help embed inclusive design into the tech transfer process.

[33:00] One of the biggest misconceptions is that inclusive design costs more.

[37:01] Jutta shares advice for championing inclusion in our work. Look for the edges of the human starburst.

Resources:

Inclusive Design Research Centre OCAD University

Jutta Treviranus - OCAD University

Jutta Treviranus - LinkedIn

We Count: IDRC's Inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiatives

In honor of Disability Pride Month, I'd like to talk about a simple image that's quietly making a big difference around the globe. You might've seen it, a sunflower printed on a lanyard or pinned to someone's jacket, but maybe you weren't exactly sure what it meant. Well, that little sunflower is a lifeline, a subtle sign helping millions of people with invisible disabilities feel less alone, better understood, and genuinely welcome.

Paul White, who’s joining me today, is the CEO and co-founder of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower. Back in 2016, Paul set out to change how we see disability, not just the ones that are obvious, but the ones you can't always see at first glance. Under his guidance, the Sunflower initiative has reached more than 40,000 locations in 53 countries, giving people space to simply exist without constantly needing to explain or justify themselves.

In our chat today, Paul opens up about how the Sunflower started as a small airport project and grew into a worldwide movement, and he shares why places like universities and tech transfer offices have such an important role in creating environments where everyone truly feels they belong.

In This Episode:

[02:15] The Hidden Disability Sunflower was created in 2016. It was first used at the Gatwick Airport to help identify people with non-visible disabilities.

[04:07] The sunflower was used because they wanted to create a symbol around positivity, happiness, strength, and confidence.

[05:08] Disability is about barriers, and the sunflower is about what you can do.

[06:23] A hidden disability is any disability that isn't visible. It can range from hearing loss to any type of chronic condition. Environments such as airports can also make people feel disabled.

[09:46] Wearing the sunflower enabled a man with dementia to ride the bus and go to the sports club without his wife.

[10:40] The sunflower program also offers training and advocates for rights within the community.

[14:24] Sunflower has a membership platform, and the first thing you'll see is the training. There are also testimonials about how the sunflower has impacted people.

[15:35] The hidden disability sunflower means that a wearer has a non-visible disability. You don't need to know or ask what that person's condition is, just give extra time, patience and understanding.

[18:43] One in seven people have some form of disability. It should be up to an organization to allow a space for this person to access this area.

[22:27] Universities are also using the sunflower. It helps spark the conversation and normalize disability.

[23:42] The Scouts have also just introduced their first sunflower badge.

[25:12] How the sunflower is being used as a symbol to help create independence in the Middle East. They have Global Partners all across the globe.

[28:28] Paul's message would be for businesses and organizations to create an environment where people feel comfortable disclosing that they may have a non-visible disability.

[29:45] Organizations could have newsletters, representation, or employ more disabled people.

Resources:

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower - Paul White

Paul White - LinkedIn

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower - Instagram

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower - Facebook

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower - X

Have you ever tried to picture the natural world without relying on sight? It’s a wild thought, but for Dr. Geerat J. Vermeij, it’s just how he experiences life. Blind since the age of three, Dr. Vermeij built an extraordinary career as an evolutionary biologist. He’s a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, a celebrated author, and Professor Emeritus of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Davis.

In our conversation, Dr. Vermeij walks us through the hidden stories that mollusk shells can tell us about evolution. Think underwater battles, survival strategies, and long-forgotten extinction events. He also introduces a powerful idea (no pun intended): that it’s not just energy that drives evolution, it's power. He digs into this more deeply in his book The Evolution of Power, which turns traditional theories on their head in the best possible way.

But science is just part of the story. Dr. Vermeij also talks about what it’s been like to build a life in academia without sight including challenges, but also the deep gratitude he has for the mentors and collaborators who helped him thrive. He doesn’t sugarcoat it, but there’s something incredibly moving about the way he frames inclusion not as charity, but as essential to discovery.

This episode kicks off our special series for Disability Pride Month, where we spotlight brilliant thinkers who expand how we see the world and what’s possible within it. Dr. Vermeij’s life reminds us that resilience, curiosity, and community can break barriers and reshape the story of science itself.

In This Episode:

[02:32] Dr. Vermeij talks about some of the things that he is the most proud of including his early insights including that shells are defenses against predators.

[03:12] Shells get damaged but not necessarily lethally damaged. Most of his work has been a variation of this theme.

[04:04] These adaptations are relatively recent in geological time. This means that the evolution between predator and prey has experienced spectacular adaptations.

[05:16] He spent a lot of time studying in Guam, Panama, and Jamaica. Also New Guinea, Australia, and many more Islands. Every biologist should visit the tropics.

[07:08] His main finding was to connect geological history with modern adaptation. He's also expanded to other organisms besides mollusks.

[08:17] He's working on another book about what it's like to be a scientist. He and a colleague are also working on the evolution of semi-aquatic mammals.

[09:39] Trying to understand evolutionary transitions and taking fossils into account is part of a larger project.

[10:17] We should be diverse in the ways that we approach problems.

[11:01] Unanswered questions in biology today including questions about natural selection.

[12:40] What are the effects of climate change? A place to look are the changes in the effects of the geological records.

[13:15] Dr. Vermeij talks about his book, The Evolution of Power. Energy doesn't do anything for you unless you use it.

[16:39] How collecting shells as a boy shaped his love for the sciences. He's always had an interest in nature and the natural sciences.

[20:13] We learn about his experience being a blind scientist. According to Dr. Vermeij, he has faced relatively few barriers. He had highly supportive potential mentors.

[22:38] He's adapted well to his work, because he's had extremely amazing and helpful assistants.

[24:03] All of his role models have been sighted, and have gone out of their way to help someone who was really interested in their work.

[27:15] He's always had a successful career from the beginning.

[28:32] Advice includes really liking what you're doing and working very hard. Have a strong curiosity about the world and the sense of what is important and what is not important.

[29:39] For blind people, having readers can get you through materials so much faster than the computer. This is also how Dr. Vermeij met his wife.

[31:56] He's had a long time view that we should pay less attention to people's identities and more to what they can actually do.

[33:42] He's the most proud of his journey, and how he recognized something interesting and pursued knowledge. He's all about asking scientific questions.

Resources:

Dr. Geerat J. Vermeij - UC Davis

The Evolution of Power: A New Understanding of the History of Life

MacArthur Fellows