Dilshan Fernando

Dilshan Fernando (he/him) joined the Institute in January 2023 as a research assistant working on the Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA) project.

He came to the Institute to work with Dr. Emile Tompa on IDEA’s social innovation hub 1, which focuses on accessibility planning and reporting. He is also working with Alec Farquhar, engagement lead for IDEA, on a survey of employer best practices of accessibility and inclusion.

Fernando is a PhD candidate in sociology and international development at the University of Guelph. His doctoral project is an in-depth case study of replicable disability inclusion best practices in a large private-sector organization in India. Currently, he leads institutional accessibility and equity at the University of Guelph, at its Office of Diversity and Human Rights. He is also a Research Fellow at LIRNEasia, a digital policy think tank based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.