2022 Conference Agenda

Open only to Inclusion Works Companies.

(Open only to Disability:IN corporate partners)

(Open only to Disability:IN corporate partners)

This session is open exclusively to Disability:IN certified disability-owned business enterprises (DOBE).

(Open only to Disability:IN corporate partners)

(Open only to Disability:IN corporate partners)

(Open only to Disability:IN corporate partners)

During this one-on-one speed networking session, company representatives will be matched to NextGen Leaders who possess the field of study, educational background, and/or experience they are seeking in potential job applicants. Matchmaking is exclusive to Disability:IN corporate partners.  The matching between the company and the NextGen Leaders will be conducted ahead of time, and companies will be provided the participants’ names and resumes prior to the conference. Prior registration is required.

While what constitutes proper disability etiquette is ever-evolving, globally situational, and open to individual interpretation, there are universal attitudes, behaviors and language that can help you set a firm foundation. Whether you’re a newcomer to the disability community or a seasoned veteran, everyone can benefit from established etiquette best practices. This session will feature professionals with apparent and non-apparent disabilities outlining the fundamentals of good etiquette and providing a safe space to get answers to those questions that might be too awkward to ask elsewhere.    

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn what ableism means and how certain words and actions could be considered micro-aggressions.
2. Discover how respectful and disability-inclusive conversations and interactions can expand the potential for favorable employee, customer, supplier, and community experiences for your business.
3. Gain insight into your own disability etiquette situations and scenarios during a safe space open discussion.

Building a company culture focused on accessibility and disability inclusion is a journey that typically begins organically, often with a team of one. To build momentum, consider creating a business case and growing a global network of accessibility champions. This session will explore the experiences of accessibility professionals and identify strategies for getting started on implementing accessible digital practices.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn how to build and leverage executive leadership support for digital accessibility.
2. Gain insight into how other accessibility leaders maintain traction, eliminate silos, foster cross-functional collaboration, and scale globally.
3. Consider the various business stakeholders and the role they play in advancing global accessibility, including diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI); human resources; technology; and more.

The ability to influence and motivate is vital to sustaining and advancing any supplier diversity initiative. Supplier diversity professionals have the unique opportunity to unleash the power of influential leadership by inspiring every colleague to be a committed and engaged champion for supplier diversity and inclusion. This session on how influential leadership can be a catalyst for delivering outstanding results is a must regardless of where your company is on its global supplier diversity journey.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discover the art of influential leadership and its importance in driving positive business results.
2. Learn the essential steps for strengthening your ability to influence others.
3. Understand how to unlock colleague relationships to mobilize your greatest champions and influencers.

The disability experience isn’t one-size-fits-all as your perspectives can vary greatly based on if you were born with a disability or you acquired one later in life. Apparent and non-apparent disabilities come with some shared experiences but also present a host of differences. When you factor in that disability intersects with all other facets of diversity, including gender, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and other identities, you’ll discover disability is one of the most diverse of diverse communities globally. This session will explore the intersection of disability with other diverse identities and how managers can develop cultural competency to become more inclusive leaders.

Learning Objectives:

1. Gain a nuanced understanding of the lived experiences and perspectives of women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals with disabilities and how these intersecting identities impact inclusion.
2. Learn how leading with authenticity, empathy and vulnerability bolsters a sense of belonging and can lead to self disclosure discussions that can improve engagement, trust and performance.
3. Discover how to use your platform and voice to be an advocate and ally for people with disabilities – particularly those who live at the intersection of other diverse identities.

Employee and Business Resource Group (E/BRG) leaders can leverage data to evaluate which initiatives create the most value for employees, customers, suppliers, and the overall business, then focus on the practices and programs that add the greatest value for all. This session will explore the value of metrics, how to determine what to measure, and making sense of the data to inform decisions and garner support from executive sponsors and other business leaders.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify which metrics to use when measuring the value of E/BRG initiatives and effective mechanisms for tracking them.
2. Understand how to access data that already exists and leverage it to secure executive sponsor and business leader support.
3. Gain insight into how other E/BRG leaders have used the Disability Equality Index (DEI), Global DEI and other internal metrics to inform global programming strategies.

When it comes to career advancement for women, people of color and other diverse groups, the saying goes “if you can see it, you can be it”. Yet when people with disabilities look to the senior ranks of most organizations, they seldom find aspirational leaders who share a common disability experience. Persistent unconscious biases – particularly competency biases – and a tyranny of low expectations perpetuate protracted entry-level positioning and stunted career progression for people with disabilities. This session will seek to disrupt the biases that constrain career growth for people with disabilities and examine proven development strategies that support advancement.

Learning Objectives:

1. Unpack the unconscious bias scripts that hinder career progression for people with disabilities, including tips on how to spot them in yourself and others and strategies for how to disrupt them.
2. Understand how to differentiate true barriers to advancement from false preconceptions and identify accommodations and solutions that enable and empower qualified individuals to progress past real barriers.
3. Examine global development programming and processes which have proven successful in supporting career advancement for people with disabilities.

Join Disability:IN Corporate Partners operating in Europe for an in depth look at current disability inclusion trends. The conversation will include information on multi-national companies’ approaches to disability inclusion, equity and accessibility, and broader disability attitudes in Europe. This session will highlight the integral role multi-national companies play in promoting disability inclusion in Europe.

Marketers and communicators have the power to shape the public understanding and perception of disability. While people with disabilities are increasingly being represented in media and marketing campaigns, work is still needed to ensure that this representation is accurate, affirming and authentic. This session will explore several inclusive marketing campaigns from around the globe and discuss what worked and where there are opportunities for growth.

Learning Objectives:

1. Gain guidance on involving people with disabilities, such as Employee Resource Group members, in the planning process from start to finish, including during casting, with intersectionality in mind.
2. Consider how to build cross-functional teams to advance disability inclusion with intentionality.
3. Learn how to ensure that disability is included as an intersectional facet within every global market segment.

This panel discussion will highlight multi-national companies’ best practices to ensure employees around the world have access to the accommodations/adjustments they need to be successful in their workplaces. The panel will also discuss how-to develop accommodations policies and practices, the benefits of a centralized accommodations budget, and provide an overview of the recently released Disability:IN Reasonable Accommodations Guidebook.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn accommodations/adjustments corporate best practices.
2. Learn how to develop accommodations/adjustments policies/practices.
3. Recognize the value of centralized accommodations budget.

Disability inclusion in the workplace is an ever-changing target, and every company is on their own journey. Whether your company is just getting started or has been focused in the disability space for a long time, there are fundamental and foundational best practices that are critical for sustained success. This session will examine crucial elements of a holistic disability inclusion strategy, including corporate culture, reasonable accommodations, self identification campaigns, talent acquisition, and scaling globally.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the crucial components of a disability-inclusive corporate culture and how to implement and integrate them at your company.
2. Gain insights on best practices for reasonable accommodations, self identification campaigns, talent acquisition, global scalability, and other aspects of a disability inclusion strategy.
3. Understand how to make the business case for additional resources for your disability inclusion initiatives and how to measure and report results to maintain executive-level support.

Improving supplier performance and increasing sustainable business relationships with your diverse suppliers can be achieved by investing in supplier development initiatives. Procurement professionals are discovering how initiatives such as formal mentoring and capability-building programming are strengthening their global supply chains and positively impacting their bottom lines. This session will provide strategies and tactics for building effective global supplier development initiatives within your own organization.

Learning Objectives:

1. Raise your awareness of innovative internal corporate supplier development programming.
2. Learn the key elements for building effective global supplier development initiatives.
3. Recognize the potential challenges to building supplier development initiatives and how to measure success.

Whether collaborating with other internal disability Employee and Business Resource Group (E/BRG) chapters, other diversity-focused E/BRGs, or E/BRGs at other companies, leaders must be intentional about their partnerships to make significant progress toward global disability awareness and inclusion. Working collectively on strategic priorities can influence E/BRG leaders to cultivate allies, maximize resources, eliminate duplicative efforts, and highlight the intersecting identities found inside a global workforce. This session will examine how some companies have leveraged the intersectionality of disability with other diverse groups to work in partnership to maximize reach and impact.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explore ways to intentionally foster an intersectional and cohesive community that supports employee needs and is aligned to the mission and goals of the business.
2. Understand how different E/BRGs can collaborate on consistent messaging to effectively shape policies and programs to create a more inclusive culture.
3. Learn strategies to align E/BRG efforts and resources across multiple diverse communities to facilitate an inclusive culture, provide development opportunities, maximize community impact, and scale globally.

Regulation around disability disclosure is on the horizon. If not included in this year’s SEC human capital rules, it’s sure to follow in the coming years following the growing influence of ESG frameworks that shape corporate operations and governance. Based on cutting-edge research by Disability:IN, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and Accenture, this breakout session will provide an overview of the global and domestic policy landscape surrounding disability disclosure, then facilitate a discussion about how to include disability in your S and G strategies.

Learning Objectives:

1. Familiarize yourself with global and domestic policy landscape surrounding diversity disclosure in the workforce (the “S”) and at the board (the “G”) level
2. Learn how to include disability data in your Annual ESG & Sustainability Reports
3. Walk away with model language for including disability in documents that nominate corporate directors

Join Disability:IN Corporate Partners operating in the Asia Pacific Region (APAC) for an in depth look at current disability inclusion trends. The conversation will include information on multi-national companies’ approaches to disability inclusion, equity and accessibility, and broader attitudes about disability in APAC countries. This session will highlight the integral role multi-national companies play in promoting disability inclusion in APAC.

Accessible from the Start: Inclusive Innovations in Customer Centered Products

DOBE Pitch Tank Competition

During this one-on-one speed networking session, company representatives will be matched to NextGen Leaders who possess the field of study, educational background, and/or experience they are seeking in potential job applicants. Matchmaking is exclusive to Disability:IN corporate partners.  The matching between the company and the NextGen Leaders will be conducted ahead of time, and companies will be provided the participants’ names and resumes prior to the conference. Prior registration is required.

Disability:IN Corporate Partners are pre-matched with certified DOBEs, V-DOBEs and SDV-DOBEs, to make their pitches and discuss potential connections.

Moving beyond the initial excitement of launching your company’s digital accessibility program involves enterprise awareness, education, training, and global engagement. Infusing accessibility into the DNA of your enterprise poses one of the most common challenges companies face. This session features leaders discussing strategies that helped move accessibility programs to the next level of maturity.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explore how to thread accessibility into your company’s corporate values for maximum enterprise exposure.
2. Uncover methods for achieving continual improvement through advancement of accessibility beyond the initial excitement of a grassroots launch.
3. Chart your course through innovative approaches to achieving accessibility milestones, leveraging the support of critical leaders to embed accessibility across your global organization.

The audience will hear from female entrepreneur, Liz Powers, and corporate real estate leaders on why art is good for business. Liz will take the audience on her journey as a social worker who identified extreme inequities in the workforce and art market, developed a "business for good" model with her company ArtLifting, and partnered with 415 corporations to generate millions of dollars in income for individuals experiencing homelessness and disabilities. The speakers will connect artists' innovative practices with the needs and goals of corporate real estate professionals (drawing talent, sparking creativity, promoting diversity, or elevating their brand). While gaining insights from the presenters, the audience will learn from each other, as they share how they make their values visible and participate in ESG and disability inclusion initiatives in their roles as corporate real estate professionals.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn how to create a corporate art strategy that supports multiple business goals including employee recruitment & retention, disability inclusion, brand building, and corporate social responsibility. (Have an “easy button” for the “S” in ESG and for return to office.)
2. Gain knowledge on the inequalities in the art market and how purchasing artwork can make a social impact. Participants will be able to evaluate artwork vendors for efficiency and ease of partnership along with uniqueness of artwork and payment model to artists.
3. Discover how artwork can be a valuable bridge to educate and engage employees, customers, suppliers and the community.

Like an online dating profile designed to attract the perfect partner, the Request for Proposal (RFP) allows a supplier to compete for an opportunity to “win the attention” of a buyer and potentially land a contract. The RFP process, however, can often be complex, rigorous and intimidating to any supplier. How you manage an RFP response can undoubtedly win a contract – or easily derail it. This session will reveal the secrets to winning the bid, what to do when you don’t, and how to build longer-term partnerships by clearly defining success after the contract is signed.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn winning strategies for navigating the RFP process.
2. Understand how to appropriately accept rejection and prepare for future opportunities.
3. Discover how to define and sustain success to build longer-term business relationships.

<Join Disability:IN Corporate Partners operating in Latin America (LATAM) for an in depth look at current disability inclusion trends. The conversation will include information on multi-national companies’ approaches to disability inclusion, equity and accessibility, and broader attitudes about disability in LATAM countries. This session will highlight the integral role multi-national companies play in promoting disability inclusion in LATAM.

(Open only to Disability:IN corporate partners)

Disability is a proven strength and a career asset to roles across any organization. As disability representation in marketing campaigns, on social media, and in mainstream media increases globally, it’s important to make sure that representation extends beyond on-camera talent. This session will feature marketers with disabilities sharing how their lived experience has shaped their work and strategies for advancing employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the field.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn the advantages of employing people with disabilities on marketing and communications teams.
2. Gain insights on best practices for recruitment, retention and advancement.
3. Discover tips for building cultures of inclusion within marketing and communications functions, including manager training, accommodations, supporting global self identification, and developing an individual collaboration plan.

Maximizing momentum requires a clear demonstration that your company’s accessibility efforts are producing measurable and sustainable value. Whether it's the digital accessibility of content and systems; inclusive design in your corporate offices; or employee and customer experiences, quantifying results is part of the process toward building global accessibility maturity. This session will explain how to know what to measure and how to leverage the data to increase enterprise support for your accessibility program.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn best practices for quantifying long-term accessibility outcomes – using maturity models and improvements in employee and customer experiences.
2. Identify strategies for how organizations can examine their business model to understand how to effectively reach, connect with, and serve people with disabilities across the globe.
3. Gain insights on driving value through brand recognition, earnings, and profits by integrating and quantifying accessibility practices.

It’s been said that some leaders are born while others are made. Whether leadership comes naturally or requires persistent practice, leaders at all levels often lack the competencies and confidence necessary for leading people with disabilities and caregivers. This session will examine the key characteristics of inclusive leadership and discuss how they specifically relate to disability inclusion.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn the definition of inclusive leadership and how commitment, curiosity, courage, cognizance of bias, cultural competence and other leadership characteristics are essential for disability inclusion.
2. Explore global strategies for effectively managing and supporting employees with disabilities working in different settings such as corporate offices, retail locations, distribution centers, laboratories, and hybrid/work from home arrangements.
3. Discover what tools, trainings and resources exist to equip and upskill managers of people with disabilities and caregivers to lead more inclusively.

Every business owner concentrates on what sets you apart from the competition – your unique product or service; the use of cutting-edge technology; or how you’ve integrated an Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) framework into your business. Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs) also have the unique opportunity to weave their own personal disability story into their marketing strategy. This session will explore the effective use of personal storytelling as a strategic method for inspiring authentic and memorable client connections.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discover how personal storytelling can enhance your current marketing strategy and help differentiate you from the competition.
2. Gain insight into personal stories that capture attention and inspire potential clients.
3. Learn how to craft your own compelling business narrative that can help launch a lasting client relationship.

Self identification enables organizations to better understand their global workforce, facilitate dialogue, and create programs that support diverse employees. Employees with disabilities, however, might be reluctant to self-identify for a variety of valid reasons. A disability-focused Employee or Business Resource Group (E/BRG) can be a key partner as it can help shape the narrative surrounding global self identification and disability disclosure. This session will examine how E/BRGs can add value by creating an inclusive and disability confident workplace by increasing transparency and encouraging all employees to share personal experiences through authentic storytelling.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explore the definitions of and differences between self identification and self disclosure, and the appropriate role for each in global workforce representation metrics, requests for reasonable accommodations, and fostering a disability-inclusive culture.
2. Learn how to craft an enterprise definition of disability and universal key messaging to create global consistency and establish norms so employees understand if their medical condition is considered a disability for the purpose of self-identification.
3. Discover strategies for collaborating with other diverse ERGs to enhance global self identification efforts.

(Open only to Disability:IN corporate partners)

Many of us might recognize the terms Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and the Metaverse, but how comfortable are you with your knowledge of them? While each of these platforms has their unique characteristics, they all have a common opportunity for focus. It’s vital that accessibility is built into the design of these emerging technologies to ensure that everyone can participate. This session will define AR, VR, and the Metaverse, and discuss how this new frontier can become a landscape for inclusive design and accessibility.

Learning Objectives:

1. What does accessibility mean for these modern technologies?
2. Explore Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and the Metaverse as we demystify what it all means for accessibility and disability inclusion.
3. Learn how to advise your business partners on leveraging this new technology, with emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) through Google Bard, Microsoft Bing, ChatGPT and other platforms.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have been evolving into Business Resource Groups (BRGs) as their leaders seek to create shared value for employees, customers, suppliers, and the business. BRG leaders and their executive sponsors are increasingly identifying how broad, global programs can be tailored to meet specific local employee, customer, and business unit needs. This session will delve into how to successfully manage these transitions and balance various priorities to achieve positive results for all stakeholders.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explore how disability focused BRGs can achieve trusted partner status and gain additional resources by contributing to business success while continually supporting employees with disabilities.
2. Learn how BRG leaders collaborate with other internal partners when the business requires disability-related support and expertise.
3. Gain insights into how to think globally and act locally while keeping it personal so employees feel connected and the business is supported.

We’re told when flying that we should put our own oxygen mask on first before assisting others. When it comes to workplace wellness, it can be difficult to maintain your own wellbeing let alone be a support system for others with all of the turbulence and uncertainty going on in the world today. The emotional side of business rarely gets discussed even though it can have a significant impact on employee engagement, morale and productivity which has direct implications for the bottom line. This session will focus on global strategies for workplace wellness as well as methods for creating psychological safety.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn how to distinguish the difference between mental health disabilities and general mental wellness for all employees, and discover strategies to promote both overall workplace wellbeing and individualized accommodations and supports.
2. Gain an understanding of basic mental health first aid, including how to spot warning signs and appropriately engage to provide support.
3. Discuss the meaning of psychological safety and the role it plays in workplace wellness and belonging for employees.

Open exclusively to Disability:IN certified disability-owned business enterprises (DOBE), this event will allow DOBEs to meet and identify opportunities to work with one another.