National Federation of the Blind Workshops led by Assistant Professor Andrew Gipe-Lazarou

On Saturday, Nov. 2nd Virginia Tech students from the Architecture, Design, and Marketing programs, led multi-sensory design workshops at the National Federation of the Blind's 2024 State Convention in Portsmouth, VA. The team, led by Assistant Professor Andrew Gipe-Lazarou and partially funded by ICAT, organized model-making workshops for vision-impaired children, teens, and adults. Older participants were challenged to create a space between two portals, which facilitated navigation and provided a comfortable place to sit. Participants developed their design ideas with AI, soliciting suggestions for interior layouts and materials. Younger attendees learned about different types of forces and structural elements (e.g. columns, beams, and trusses) by creating K'Nex pyramids and cubes which were repeatedly redesigned and loaded to failure.