Derrick Behm Josa

Derrick Behm Josa

PhD Student

Education:

M.U.R.P, Georgetown University
B.A. in English, Gallaudet University

Areas of Interest:

Community Development, DeafSpace, Disability Inclusive Planning, Participatory Planning, Planning Theory, Social Infrastructure, Urban Humanities, spatial justice

Email:

derrickbehmjosa@g.ucla.edu

Derrick Behm Josa is an urban planner and a DeafSpace engagement and design consultant. He is currently a PhD student in Urban Planning at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs focusing his research on social infrastructures and community development, including how cities empower cultural production among Deaf communities through planning and design. He is also a recipient of the Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellowship award.

In the last decade Derrick has done various community development work in Washington, DC. Previously, he worked at Gallaudet University Office of Campus Design and Planning as a project coordinator and taught the DeafSpace Design Methodologies course. In 2019, he received his Masters degree from the Urban and Regional Planning program at Georgetown University. Through his experience and work, Derrick believes that the “accessibility” framework needs to continue evolving, rethinking how people connect within places.