Amy Francis-Smith RIBA
Architect, Inclusive Design and Access Consultant
Science and Engineering
Amy Francis-Smith is a multi-award winning Disabled Architect, Inclusive Designer and Access Consultant, Project Lead at Pinnegar Hayward Design and the outgoing Vice-President of the Birmingham Architectural Association. Campaigning for legislative change, her work and research focuses on providing improved accessibility for people with Disabilities in the Built Environment.
Named as a Design Council Specialist in Accessible Environments, providing expert advice on accessibility, policy, design and top-level strategy. Amy has experience across Design and Construction, particularly with Residential schemes, multi-million-pound Healthcare projects for the NHS as well as Access Consultancy for buildings and new product development.
Fighting for improvements on access policies around accessible housing and the Building Regulations, she educates students and professionals on their social responsibility, sits on Habinteg’s advisory board (an accessible housing association) and lobbies the government.
Amy has worked with companies such as The Financial Times, BBC, Microsoft, British Council, Coventry City of Culture, City A.M., Wallpaper*, RIBAJ and the Architects Journal. A founding board member/Disability Power Broker with The Architecture of Hope publication, Associate consultant for Purple Tuesday and an ambassador for the Architect’s Benevolent Society.
Featured in various articles, blogs, podcasts and a panellist at numerous events; Amy is also a published author around diversity and activism in architecture with RIBA Publishing.
Her fourth year being featured on the Disability Power 100 list and ranking at no.8 in 2022; she also has been shortlisted from 62,000 as a National Diversity Award Positive Disability Role Model, a RIBAJ Rising Star in Architecture, an Archiboo Activism winner, a UK Construction Week Role Model and
Access Champion of the Year by Blue Badge Access Awards.
Her determination stems from witnessing loved ones struggle as well as her own ill health, previously bedridden with life threatening chronic illnesses/disabilities. Most notably Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Crohn’s, a hearing impairment and CPSTD.
“There’s no excuse for inaccessibility; if it’s been designed in, then it can be designed out again”
Disability Power 100 2023 profile information has been self-submitted by the profile subject. Shaw Trust understands and respects that disability and impairment descriptors and language use varies from person to person. Shaw Trust assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or discrepancies in the content of this, or any other, profile page.
Image credit: Birmingham City University
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