Lucy Shepherd

Lucy is a committed advocate of inclusive design and is passionate about ensuring that every student in public schools feels welcome, safe and is given the opportunity to reach their full potential. The emerging science of behavioural design and neuroarchitecture is proving a fascinating subject and it is expected that implementing measures to positively influence behaviour can have life-changing benefits to individuals, including people with disability.

Lucy currently advises school design teams in NSW, providing design recommendations that allow for informed decisions to be made to promote equity for people with disability, this includes developing design standards, providing technical advice and implementing strategies and policies to infrastructure design that safeguard student rights and freedoms.

Lucy holds a degree and RIBA Part I qualification in Architecture from Manchester School of Architecture and The Bartlett, University College London and is an experienced building code accessibility consultant. Throughout the course of her career, Lucy has developed a specialist expertise in inclusive design, in particular in education settings.

The design of school facilities can have a meaningful impact on mental health, behaviour, dignity and independence. Lucy has a wealth of experience in inclusive design but has identified that the benefits of behavioural design and neuroarchitecture are underutilised. In her bid to promote equity throughout the NSW school system, Lucy has presented plans to study, observe and identify architectural precedents which provide alternatives to restrictive environments. Through visiting settings designed to positively influence behaviour, reduce segregation, distraction and disorientation and encourage meaningful and inclusive social interactions without physically preventing the free movement of people Lucy hopes to reach her goal of creating a world leading environment across Australian schools, enabling future generations to move towards a more inclusive society.