Our Team
Our director, Dr. Deborah Fels, has had 30 years of research experience building and evaluating computer-based technology for supporting the needs of people with disabilities with over 160 academic publications (external link) . Her research interests include: inclusive technologies, inclusive media, inclusive design, people with disabilities and healthcare systems for older adults.
A faculty member of the ITM program, Dr. Fels has won numerous awards for her work including, most recently, the YSGS Outstanding Contribution to Graduate Education Award, the Collaborative Research Award (Ryerson), Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award-Research and Development in Audio Description from the American Council of the Blind.
Dr. Fels also continues to serve on the boards for various accessible media companies and is currently the Co-Chair of the Body of Knowledge Group, consulting with the American Council of the Blind in creating an AD certification process (since April 2019). As the Co-chair of the Young Researchers Consortium (since 2000) and program committee member of Europe’s largest accessibility conference, the ICCHP, she is responsible for ensuring young researchers have access to opportunities in the field of accessibility.
Deborah Fels' Linkedin (external link) Deborah Fels' Google Scholar (external link)
Margot Whitfield (MMSt, BFA, and Ontario Certified Teacher) has been working with the Inclusive Media and Design Centre since 2010. She has extensive experience in user study recruitment, including study recruitment for diverse participants, such as blind and Deaf individuals, film and theater directors and people with disabilities from cultural specific backgrounds. Margot is passionate about access to arts and culture and has consulted on accessible video productions for both Ryerson and the Ontario Arts Council. She has been a member of the AODA IT Working Group at Ryerson for 5 years.
Margot has served on various committees at Ryerson, including an Equity Committee involved in organizing a public lecture at Ryerson by Deaf scholar Dr. Carol Padden (2012). She has been an active member of the AODA Information Technology Working Group at Ryerson (since 2013), running a Captioning subcommittee (from 2013-2014). Margot has also served her Ryerson community by coordinating yoga classes for TRSM’s Health & Wellness Program (2016-2019). She continues to advocate for better access to academic and work opportunities for ASC students and for her ASC son.
Margot Whitfield's LinkedIn (external link) , Margot Whitfield's Google Scholar (external link)
Garo Nazarian graduated B.Sc. Computer Science from Ryerson in 2020. He started working for IMDC in 2018 when he joined the WebMoti project, constructing and assembling a video conferencing platform, including REST compliant endpoints hosted on an Apache2 server for reliable client-server connectivity, for neurodivergent students and their teachers.
In 2020 he joined the IMDC full time as a Software Developer and began working on the Caption-quality Assessment Intelligence System (CAIS) project with a PhD candidate. CAIS involved developing web applications for Deaf and hard of hearing users (D/HoH), co-creating a platform that allows D/HoH users to assess quality of closed captioning video with the goal of including end-user feedback in closed-captioning standard assessments. Garo is currently the Lead Developer for the Radial Pie-AAC web application, developing customisable and mobile friendly communication alternatives for users with a wide range of acquired speech and mobility limitations.
Hemanshu Bhargav has been working at the Inclusive Media Design Center (IMDC) in a research and development capacity for the past 2 years. Currently he is researching applications of Deep Learning to develop inclusive speech-recognition solutions to better serve marginalized and underrepresented populations. His areas of expertise include Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Information Retrieval, Creating Big Data Systems (Hadoop Configuration), Web Development and Databases.
Hemanshu Bhargav's LinkedIn (external link) , Hemanshu Bhargav's Google Scholar (external link)
Jenny graduated with a B.Com from Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) and is in her second year of her MScM at Ryerson. During her undergrad, she was a TROP Ambassador and a Representative of the Deaf Society for TRSM. Jenny has been working on Live Closed Captioning Research with the IMDC and is doing BMO's Internship Program 2021- 2022 as a Technology and Operations Quality Assurance Analyst.
Sara Mustafa is a MScM candidate of Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) at Ryerson university. She is currently researching the use of curation within User Experience in healthcare applications.
Maria Karam, is engaged at the Inclusive Media Design Center (IMDC), as a Postdoctoral Fellow and is responsible for conducting research projects in collaboration with PI, partners and IMDC team members. Her current project involves studying the tradeoffs involved in providing high quality closed captioning for real-time, fast-paced sports and other broadcast media content. As an experienced researcher and inventor, she brings her expertise in Human Computer Interaction, Sensory Substitution Interface Development, Ubiquitous Computing Solutions, Haptics and VR to the lab. Maria is also the director of the Inventors Nest, a creative hub and innovation center for the arts in East Toronto.
Check out Maria Karam's Work (external link) , Maria Karam's LinkedIn (external link) , Maria Karam's Google Scholar (external link)
S. Fatima Lakha, is engaged at the Inclusive Media Design Center (IMDC), as a Senior Research fellow and is responsible for conducting research projects in collaboration with PI, partners and IMDC team members. Experienced Health Researcher, Evaluation and user experience designer developing inclusive design solutions for patients with chronic conditions especially chronic pain and general population (including older adults and individuals with disabilities) using design thinking, resulting in several projects and publications. Her current project explored how digital health media can be applied in ways that engage pain patients in their care using an inclusive design approach. Her current research bridges the fields of digital media and design, sustainability, health and wellness, cultural diversity, and migrant cultures.
She received her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences and Global Health from University of Toronto (UoT) in 2016, MSc in Medical Sciences from UoT, in 2009 and MSc in Food and Nutrition from University of Karachi, Pakistan in 2000.
Pain and Wellness Centre (external link) , Fatima Lakha's LinkedIn (external link) , Fatima Lakha's Google Scholar (external link)