Chris Downey is an architect with over 30 years of professional practice - continuing without sight since 2008. Leveraging this altered perspective as a unique value, he now specializes in universal design for projects for the blind and visually impaired including eye clinics, rehabilitation centers and schools for the blind while also consulting on other projects including museums, cultural centers, tech offices and transit centers. Recently appointed as the inaugural recipient of the Lifchez Visiting Professor of Practice in Social Justice for the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, Chris is to teach a graduate level studio for the Department of Architecture during the spring semester of 2022.  

 
Chris has been featured in numerous media stories including “60 Minutes” with CBS News, has exhibited internationally including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and speaks globally for Fresh Speakers with a TED talk that has been viewed well over a million times. Chris currently serves as chair of the California commission on disability Access and is on the “Building Blind Ambition” capital campaign for Enchanted Hills Camp owned and operated by the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. 

Scott McCallum has 25 years of experience working on behalf of children and young adults who are blind or have low vision (BLV). Before being appointed Superintendent of the Washington State School for the Blind in June 2016 by Governor Jay Inslee, McCallum served for six years as the Blind and Visually Impaired Student Fund administrator for the state of Oregon and coordinated specialized educational services for blind and low vision students for one of Oregon’s eight low-incidence regional programs.  Before shifting into administration, McCallum served for ten years as an itinerant teacher of blind and low vision students and orientation and mobility specialist in Oregon. McCallum also serves as an advisor to the Board of Directors for the Pacific Foundation for Blind Children, as a commissioner for the Oregon Commission for the Blind, a board member for the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA), and as a board member and president-elect for the Council of Schools and Services for the Blind. 

Scott’s range of professional experience have provided him with a unique understanding of the needs of students who are BLV as well as the instruction, tools, and supports necessary to meet those needs. His work to support implementation of the nation’s first online adaptive state assessment accessible to students who read Braille and his contributions to the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has given him a national reputation as a collaborative leader. In July 2022, McCallum was honored by the National Federation of the Blind as the nation’s “2022 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students.” 

McCallum has a Master of Science in orientation and mobility from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the University of North Dakota.  Scott completed his initial training to teach blind and low vision students at the University of North Dakota as well.  Scott is currently a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at Washington State University. 

Kim Olson brings over 23 years of experience in the field of architecture and has a passion for design that enriches the living, learning, and healing environments for all.  She takes pride in listening to the needs of all constituents through the design process, and her work is rooted in the belief that buildings can support stronger communities when they explore and celebrate the rich diversity of the human condition.  

Committed to serving the profession of architecture, Kim has served on various boards and committees for the American Institute of Architects.  She currently is Chair of AIAO’s Legislative Affairs Committee.

Kim earned a Master of Architecture from Tulane University. She is a registered architect in Oregon and is a DBIA certified professional.