This paper highlights the growing inequalities within our present academic environment, whereby students and academics from certain backgrounds are significantly disadvantaged compared to others. It calls for imaginative new initiatives that seek to redress this imbalance, and points towards the example of an online para-educational platform, DigitalFUTURES (DF) sees education as a basic human right and tries to democratize architectural education. The paper describes how DF evolved, what principles it adheres to, and what strategies it has adopted. It argues, however, that such initiatives need to be backed up by other measures. It concludes by calling upon the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) to introduce new measures in order to make its events more accessible to those from less-advantaged backgrounds.