LIVE/IN PERSON: How can body awareness make us better, more inclusive designers? Whether we notice it or not, our offices, homes, and other built spaces greatly impact our overall health and sense of belonging. In this AFO Dine & Design event, we'll refocus on our own bodies and wellness as a means of building awareness of the design choices that can improve comfort and access for people with a wide range of needs. You don't need to be a designer or yogi to appreciate this after-work destressing activity - all you need is a body!

Register here.

LIVE/VIRTUAL: During this lunch hour virtual workshop, you'll engage in fun activities to hone your alt-text-writing skills, expand your understanding of access, and build relationships with other inclusion-minded folks. Accessibility can be a creative opportunity, not just a box to check.

Register here.

Please join IIDA Oregon Chapter for a discussion on size-inclusive design best practices, led by team members from AllGo, a startup focused on plus-size accessibility issues. Hannah Silver, AllGo's in-house designer and AllGo Founder Rebecca Alexander will host a conversation about size-inclusivity in and out of interior design.

This event is for you if you...

- have ever felt restricted by design: "please don't touch" signs, cramped seats on public transit, an open office that makes you feel anxious and on display, an office culture that is inhibiting your creativity

- are committed to designing spaces that make people feel welcome, happy, and well

- want to walk away armed with immediately applicable strategies for your own life and design projects

- are eager to connect with a community of diverse folks who want to make the world more inclusive and healthy for everyone

Designers hold immense power to create spaces that make all people feel seen and welcome. More than a third of the American population is considered very plus-size. So why don’t our offices, restaurants, retail, or public spaces reflect this through size-inclusive design and furniture selection? What does it look like to design an equitable world with a literal seat at the table for everyone? How do we advocate for size inclusion with our project clients and peer designers?

Please join AIA Oregon's Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CoEDI) for a discussion on size-inclusive design best practices, led by team members from AllGo, a startup focused on plus-size accessibility issues.

Join us to learn how to design spaces welcoming to customers, clients, residents, and employees of all sizes.

For a recap of this past event, check out this Fresh Cup article.

We invite you to join us at Nossa Familia Coffee at the Seven Corners Collaborative for a panel discussion on promoting body size diversity, equity and inclusion. Panelists will explore how an intentional approach to organizational culture and physical layout and design can make room for every body in a space. We'll discuss how this type of approach must be considered, especially in retail café, restaurant, and customer-serving environments, in order to create a thoroughly welcoming and comfortable space for everyone and every body.

Humans have an innate connection to nature. Being immersed in it can reduce stress, improve health, and enhance creativity. But historically we’ve designed our cities and buildings to shut nature out. The concept of biophilic design is oriented around bringing nature back into our buildings to help restore this lost connection and the numerous benefits to our health and well-being that come with it.

With this happy hour event, we will dive in and explore fundamental elements of biophilic design with a hands-on, collaborative workshop led by our panelists.