Starkloff Disability Institute live webinar. A fulcrum scale balances universal design with money.

Funding Inclusion

Universal Design with the Budget in Mind

Cost is one of the biggest barriers to implement Universal Design in building projects…but is that really true?

Join us for a case study of different building projects to explore the real cost of using Universal Design. During this 90-minute webinar, experts from The Harkin Institute and BNIM will dive into real building project budgets to bust the myth that using universal design is too costly.

Guest experts: Daniel Van Sant, JD • Kevin Nordmeyer, FAIA • Jason Kruse, AIA

This event is FREE and open to the public!

This event will include free continuing education units through the American Institute of Architects for qualified attendees:

1.5 HSW CEUs (Final approval pending, expected soon.)

Event Details

Time and Date:

Wednesday, March 23, 2026

12:00 – 1:30 pm CST

Location:

Zoom webinar

Credits Available:

1.5 HSW AIA continuing education units will be available for qualified attendees. (Final approval pending.)

ASL:

This event will have ASL interpretation.

Meet the Experts

Daniel Van Sant, JD

Daniel Van Sant joined The Harkin Institute in 2021 to oversee the Institute’s disability policy work, which includes organizing the Harkin International Disability Employment Summit, an annual event that brings together key champions and implementers from around the world to increase employment of people with disabilities. Before joining THI, Daniel was a staff attorney at Disability Rights Iowa where he provided free legal representation to children with disabilities and their families. Daniel earned his Juris Doctorate and a Master of Science in Cultural Foundations of Education with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Disability Studies from Syracuse University and earned his bachelor’s degrees in International Relations, Rhetoric, and Politics from Drake University.

Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn.

Kevin Nordmeyer, FAIA

Kevin Nordmeyer, FAIA, LEED AP is an architect and a Principal at BNIM in Des Moines, Iowa. He has served as a pioneer in sustainable design in Iowa and the Midwest since 1992, leading the creation of Iowa’s first model sustainable buildings. He has led projects that have received more than 40 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Design Awards. Kevin serves as a Harkin Institute National Advisory Council member and was invested as a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects in 2024. He collaborated with Jason Kruse, AIA in the design of the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa—a model facility for inclusive design and home to The Harkin Institute.

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.

Jason Kruse, AIA

Jason Kruse, AIA, is an Associate Principal at BNIM. He has been a design leader on numerous complex projects across Iowa, and has served on the AIA Iowa Disaster Team bringing his compassionate approach to communities in need after natural disasters. Since leading the Tom and Ruth Harkin Center project, he has lead teams of several award-winning projects where he has applied a human-purposed integrated design method to collegiate facilities, museums, theaters, and airports.

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn.