Invited Speakers

Karin Bendixen is director of the consultancy Bexcom, and founder and president of the Danish Design for All network. Bexcom is a business primarily focusing on Design for All, communication, research, user involvement methods and innovation - working interdisciplinary and closely with users.

Karin is educated as an occupational therapist and a journalist, and at the moment she is taking a master's degree in journalism specializing in sociology at the University of Aarhus. She has a Diploma in Internet Journalism and has taken courses in Labour Market Issues, and has a special insight in Nordic related issues.

During the last 20 years, she's been actively involved, nationally as well as internationally in Design for All activities. She has lectured and been running workshops on the subject in Denmark and abroad. She's been consultant for Design for All policies and communication for various organisations, educations and enterprises.

She's been Project Manager and researcher on a number of projects on the subject of disabled and elderly people and Smart Home Technology at Danish Centre for Technical Aids for Rehabilitation and Education as well as Head of Communication at the Danish Centre for Accessibility. She's also been responsible for a numerous projects, campaigns and competitions initiated by organisations and Danish ministries like the "Accessibility award" by the minister of Culture as well as projects under the Nordic Council of Ministers like the Nordic research group concerning the status of Design for All in the Nordic countries

She is one of the first to write journalistic about Design for All issues targeting architect, planners, designers and politicians. She was concept developer and editor of the first Danish accessibility magazine and editor of "Crisp & Clear European Magazine on Design for All", published by EIDD, as well as "Form & Funktion – Nordic Design for All Magazine". Besides she is the author as well as contributing author to books and she has written a huge number of articles published in various media on the Design for All subject. She also participates in the public debate about the rights of people with disabilities and Design for All.

Lately she has been project partner on the project "Products for the multifunctional room (family room) – build on user driven innovation and Design for All" and the design-innovation project i-SIT (seniors and chairs) partly granted by the Danish Government's ambitious project for User driven innovation.
Karin is member of: the Board of Danish Designers, the Board of Advisers of the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre in London, the Board of EIDD – Design for All – Europe.

In spring 2010 Karin received The "Encouragement Price" form The Danish Disability Foundation for her work in the field of Design for all and people with disability.

In 2006 she received a Nordic Councils journalist grant.