Joel  is the founder and principal of JSA/MIXdesign, a human-centered, full-service inclusive architectural design studio that looks at accessibility beyond code compliance. The studio is dedicated to making everyday building types—restrooms, art museums, and university campuses—accessible and welcoming to people of different ages, genders, abilities, cultural identities, and religions. JSA/MIXdesign initiatives include Stalled!, an AIA award-winning project that responds to national controversies surrounding transgender access to public restrooms, and MIXmuseum, a toolkit of strategies to make museums better meet the needs of their diverse audiences. 
Sanders also holds a dual appointment as a Professor in the Practice at Yale School of Architecture and as a Professor at Yale School of Public Health, where he teaches classes that look at the intersection of architecture, inclusivity beyond code compliance, and mental and physical health. Joel received an honorary doctorate from Aalto University in 2025.