Universal Design Summit 8

Emerging Advancements, Trends, and Technologies

in Universal Design

November 18 – 20, 2026

Saint Louis, Missouri and online

Register

Session Directory

Tours

Exhibitors

Schedule

Partners

Keynote Speakers

Michael Allen Nesmith.

Michael Allen Nesmith

Creative Director

Non-Breaking Space

Dona Edwards.

Dona Edwards, JD, MBA

TEDx Speaker and Fashion Advocate

Fashion With a Curve

Jordana Maisel.

Jordana Maisel, PhD

Director, IDEA Center and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning

Tickets for UDS8

Ticket purchases are hosted by Ticket Tailor. If you cannot access the purchase form, please contact Rachel Goldmeier at rgoldmeier@starkloff.org.

Types of Tickets Available

General admission

In-person

Full conference pass (3 days)

$475

Includes:
• Daily keynote
• Plenary sessions
• Breakout options: 3 sessions to choose from during all 6 breakout blocks
• Breakfast and lunch each day
• Networking opportunities
• Exhibitors on-site with product demos and resources
• Option to add on tour experience on Friday, Nov. 20

Single day

In-person

Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday

$185

Includes all benefits of general admission for the selected day

Virtual

Online

Full conference pass (3 days)

$300

Includes live streaming access to everything on the main stage (Wool Ballroom):

  • Daily keynotes
  • Plenary sessions
  • Select* breakout sessions

Please note: UDS8 events are scheduled on CST (GMT-6).

*Virtual attendees will not have the opportunity to explore breakout sessions presented in other venues. Check session descriptions for format details.

Student

In-person

Full conference pass (3 days)

$100

Discounted general admission rate for students. Students must use their .edu email when registering.

Includes all benefits of general admission.

Site Tours

In-person

Friday

$60

Select one of three sites to experience Universal Design in practice:

  • Missouri Botanical Garden
  • Soldiers Memorial Military Museum
  • Museum under the Gateway Arch

Includes transportation and from SLU campus. Additional site tour details below.

Site Tours: Experience Inclusive Design

Extend your Summit into the city with a Friday afternoon tour add-on experience.

Choose one of three St. Louis sites that put Universal Design principles into practice. You’ll walk through tactile exhibits, calming corners, and sensory gardens and see how real institutions apply the ideas you’ve spent three days discussing.

  • Friday, November 20, 2:00–4:15 PM
  • Ticket add-on includes transportation to and from the site and returning to SLU
  • Pick your tour site when you register for UDS8. (Please note: No single site meets every access need. Before you pick a tour, check the features and accommodations at each location so you know what to expect.)

Tour Sites

Walk through St. Louis military history from WWI through every major US conflict, organized by neighborhood. See how a museum built decades ago adapts its space and exhibits for today’s visitors.

Go beyond the Arch itself and into the museum that tells its story alongside the history of St. Louis. See the Universal Design choices the museum made in its exhibits. (Please note: The tram ride up the Arch is not part of this tour.)

Explore 79 acres that include the Japanese Garden, the Climatron (the first geodesic dome to be used as a conservatory), and the Temperate House. Your guide focuses on where the Garden has built for everyone and where accessibility still falls short. (St. Louis in November means this tour runs mostly indoors, with brief stretches outside, so dress for both.)

Exhibitors at UDS8

Allegion. Pioneering safety.
Altro.
AIA St. Louis.
ASLA St. Louis.
Artcobell.
Caption First.
Circadia.
Ethos Preparedness.
Facilitec. More than furniture. Teknion.
Impact Parks, a Playcore Collaborative.
Missouri Historical Society.
P•O•E. Work Better. Haworth.
The Synapsory. Rest. Regulate. Renew.
TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers.

Hotel Recommendations & Accommodations

Note: All reservations, payments, cancellations, and stay related matters are the sole responsibility of the attendee and the hotel.

DoubleTree Hotel Forest Park is our preferred conference hotel.

Parking is available for $15 per night, charged to your room. You must check-in prior to parking to receive this rate.

Other Nearby Hotels

Aloft by Marriott St Louis Central West End | 1.08 miles from SLU campus
4245 Duncan Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110 (map)
314-639-0050

Element by Marriott St. Louis Midtown | 0.6 miles from SLU campus
3763 Forest Park Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63103 (map)
314-639-0060

Hampton Inn & Suites St. Louis at Forest Park | 3.8 miles from SLU campus
5650 Oakland Ave, St. Louis MO 63110 (map)
314-655-3993

Saint Louis University’s website also includes an extensive list of area hotels. We encourage you to review each hotel’s terms, conditions, cancellation policies, and accessibility features carefully before booking.

Partners

Special Thanks to our Universal Design Summit 8 Sponsors

Our partners make this Summit possible. Thank you for helping us build inclusion where we live, learn, work, and play!

Funding Partner

Affordable Housing Commission City of St. Louis.

Disability Confident Leader
of Starkloff’s 2026 Conference Series

Waymo.

Foundation Sponsors

CannonDesign.
Numotion Foundation.

Blueprint Sponsors

Mackey Mitchell Architects.
Permobil Foundation.
Teknion.

Additional Sponsors

PGAV Destinations.

Dr. Jordana Maisel Keynote Sponsor

Emerson.

Student Scholarship Sponsor

Lawrence Group.

Student Scholarship Sponsor

Steelcase.

Student Scholarship Sponsor

Enterprise Bank and Trust.

Breakout Sponsor

Universal Design Summit 8 Programming Partners

Saint Louis University.

SLU Doisy College of Health Sciences and SLU Office of Belonging

AIA St. Louis.
ASLA St. Louis.
University of Pittsburgh.
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.
• Lindenwood University College of Arts and Humanities – Fashion.
Soldiers Memorial, Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri Botanical Garden.
Gateway Arch Park Foundation.

UDS8 Advisory Committee

Experts across industries, from architecture to digital accessibility to occupational therapy, partner with us to develop the programming for our Universal Design Summits. In addition to their professional expertise, many of those serving on the advisory committee have lived experience with disability. Thank you to our collaborators for Universal Design Summit 8:

  • Marcus Adrian, AIA, LEED
    Principal, Mackey Mitchell Architects
  • Tricia Austin, PhD, PT, ATC
    Interim Dean, Doisy College of Health Sciences, Saint Louis University
  • Allison Brewer
    Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Saint Louis University
  • November Champion
    Director, Accessibility Operations, USAA
  • Jeff Clark
    Principal and Vice President, Metropolitan Build
  • Jessica Dashner, OTD, OTR/L
    Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy and Neurology, WashU School of Medicine
  • Tiffany Dill, OTD, MPH, OTR/L, ECHM
    Accessibility-Universal Design Consultant, Blue Day 2
  • Anne Fullenkamp
    Senior Director of Creative Experiences, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
  • Gina Hilberry, AIA
    Principal, Cohen Hilberry Architects
  • Cole Hoffarth, AIA, NCARB
    Senior Associate, Lawrence Group
  • Elizabeth Johnson, IIDA, NCIDQ, WELL AP
    Senior Associate, CannonDesign
  • Megan Kennedy
    Physical & Digital Inclusion Manager, General Motors
  • Gretchen Kingma, OTR/L, CAPS, ECHM, REALTOR
    Founder, Empowered Homes
  • Kirsten Kohm, NCIDQ, IDEC, IIDA, RID
    Director of Interior Design Programs and Instructor of Interior Design, Maryville University
  • Anna Leavey
    Owner and President, Anna Leavey, LLC
  • Danielle Linzer
    Senior Director of Education, Learning, and Research, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and MuseumLab
  • Jonathan Pearlman
    Associate Dean of Commercial Translation and Professor, University of Pittsburgh
  • Amy Phillips
    Principal and Office Practice Leader St. Louis, CannonDesign
  • Michelle Rotherham, IIDA
    Principal and Commercial Practice Leader, CannonDesign
  • Nicole Smith
    Accessibility Specialist, Detroit Institute of the Arts
  • Rochelle Smith
    Vice President and Chief Belonging Officer, Saint Louis University
  • Wendy Stav, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
    Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Saint Louis University
  • KT Todd
    Director of Learning and Research, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
  • Greg Turner, AIA, NCARB
    Project Manager, Fox Architects
  • Jennifer Uetrecht
    Owner, Jennifer Uetrecht Interior Design
    Partner, Compass Design|Build
  • Pete Uetrecht
    Owner, Compass Design|Build
  • Selena E. Washington, PhD, MSPH, OTR/L
    Associate Professor, Active Aging Research Collective (AARC), Saint Louis University
  • Greg Zipfel, AIA, CSI, CDT
    Senior Operations Manager, HERA Laboratory Planners
  • Allison Zuck, AIA
    Project Leader and Architect, PGAV Destinations