Joseph Kwan, Architect and Accessibility Consultant, Founder and Managing Director of UDA Consultants Ltd. (Universal Design and Accessibility Consultants) in Hong Kong since 2005. He has 45 years of experience in international architectural practice having worked in Australia, United Kingdom, France and now over 30 years in Hong Kong. He has been the Director of a Hong Kong NGO specializing in accessible built environments and transportation for 18 years. This Advisory Service is subvented by the Health, Welfare, and Food Bureau for the purpose of making Hong Kong more accessible for the elderly and people with disabilities, in particular to the built environment and public transportation.
In Hong Kong, he is a Member of the Government’s Rehabilitation Advisory Committee (RAC), a Member of the Working Group on the review of the Hong Kong Rehabilitation Programme Plan (RPP) 2020-30 , a Convenor of the RPP Task Force on Accessibility, the Chairman of RAC Sub-committee on Access, and a Member of the RAC-SCA Task Force on Accessible Built Environment. He was a Member of the Special Group on Review of: “Transport Planning and Design Manual” of Transport Department; and a Sub-Consultant to the Buildings Department on drafting of the Design Manual - Barrier Free Access 2008.
Since 1987, Joseph Kwan has prepared over 300 Personal Injury legal reports, for people who sustained personal injuries, for the Legal Aid Department, private Solicitors and Lawyers in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Canada. He has also appeared in a number of Court Hearings as Expert Witness on cases relating to the access and accommodation requirements of people with special needs.
Regionally, he was a Consultant to the United Nations - Economic and Social Commission for Asia and The Pacific (UN-ESCAP) on the preparation of a Technical Guideline on the “Promotion of Non-Handicapping Environments for Disabled and Elderly Persons in the Asia - Pacific Region”, a Resource Person for the UN-ESCAP on “The Regional Training of Trainers Course on the Promotio Disabilities”. He is also the UN-ESCAP Expert/Consultant on the promotion of Inclusive Tourism in Asia and the Pacific.
