2024 Conference Agenda

Walk the meeting space at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas to become oriented with the space. Tours will depart from the Conference Registration Desk, located on floor 4. 

Walk the meeting space at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas to become oriented with the space. Tours will depart from the Conference Registration Desk, located on floor 4. 

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. 

Appetizers will be provided. 

Walk the meeting space at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas to become oriented with the space. Tours will depart from the Conference Registration Desk, located on floor 4. 

2024 marks a decade of the impact of the Disability Equality Index (DEI) and Inclusion Works (IW). Since their inception, participation in the Disability Equality Index has grown 6x – from 80 companies in the inaugural year to 485 in 2023, and Inclusion Works companies have hired nearly 400,000 employees with disabilities over the last ten years. We kick-off the 2024 Global Conference & Expo by mapping business inclusion trends around the world with insights from the DEI, featuring the wisdom of participating  Inclusion Works companies that have made disability inclusion a strategic business priority. We will dive into the future of building inclusive businesses for all as well as the growing importance of publicly reporting your disability data.   

Talent acquisition initiatives specifically designed to attract qualified candidates with disabilities are a focus of most corporations as 57% of the participants in the 2023 Disability Equality Index indicated their company has an external disability hiring goal of some kind. However, the nature, measurement and reporting of such hiring goals can vary dramatically from company-to-company. How companies support potential recruits with disabilities can also differ greatly as just 69% of 2023 Disability Equality Index respondents reported they make all job candidates aware of the option to request an accommodation for the interview. This session examines the corporate recruitment and hiring best practices that can result in the increased attraction and employment of talent with disabilities. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Explore inclusive recruitment strategies that actively attract candidates with disabilities, ensuring a diverse talent pool. 
2. Learn tips for creating accessible and bias-mitigated application processes, interviews, and assessments to provide equal opportunities for candidates with disabilities. 
3. Discover the importance of building partnerships with disability organizations and utilizing accessible communication channels to reach and engage potential candidates. 

Each culture perceives disability through its unique cultural lens, and culture has a profound impact on inclusive workplace strategies. This session will feature LATAM corporate leaders discussing the topics below and outlining how they are engaging their workforces while acknowledging the cultural influence on disability inclusion.

• The Impact of Culture on Disability Inclusion in LATAM Workplaces
• Approaches to Disability Etiquette and Language for Colleagues, People Managers & Recruiters
• LATAM Accommodations/Adjustments Policies and Practices

The United Nations estimates that 1.3 billion people globally live with a disability, yet the pool of certified Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs) doesn’t currently reflect this significant portion of the world’s population. Disabled business owners have been reluctant to disclose their disability status for a multitude of reasons, much less certify their businesses as disability-owned. As more corporations are including DOBEs within their supplier diversity and inclusion initiatives, the need to increase the number of contract-ready DOBEs is a top priority. This session highlights best practices for identifying potential DOBEs currently in respective corporate supply chains and attracting new suppliers eligible for DOBE certification.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Gain insight into the challenges that impact supplier self-disclosure and effective solutions that can be implemented to increase voluntary disclosure and the pursuit of certification. 
2. Discover the elements of the new DOBE I.D. Toolkit developed by Disability:IN and innovative approaches to identifying and engaging with Disability-Owned Business Enterprises. 
3. Learn practical techniques for sharing resources with procurement and sourcing teams, prime suppliers, Employee/Business Resource Group members, and other key stakeholders that will help to increase DOBE spend. 

An organization’s greatest resource is its people, and the stories of your people are powerful tools for recruiting and retaining talent, connecting with customers and building brand equity, and creating a culture of belonging. Employee/Business Resource Groups (E/BRGs) can amplify the voices of your organization by working with marketing/communications colleagues to integrate accurate, affirming, and authentic personal narratives into your corporate storytelling strategy for maximum impact. This session will examine techniques for how E/BRGs and marketing/communications teams can highlight individual experiences of people with disabilities to craft compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand how to identify compelling personal narratives within your organization and create welcoming and accessible channels for individuals to share their stories. 
2. Learn techniques for effectively incorporating compelling personal narratives into communications strategies. 
3. Explore methods for handling diverse perspectives responsibly and effectively to ensure messaging campaigns are accurate, affirming, and authentic to the subject as well as impactful to the audience. 

Self-identification campaigns enable 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 self ID campaign can help shape the narrative surrounding global self-identification and inspire employee participation. This session will explore the basics of building a disability self ID campaign, including how to secure legal and leadership support; create effective marketing through storytelling; and considerations on how to collect and report data. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Define self-identification and self-disclosure and gain an understanding of how effective self-disclosure through storytelling can translate to increased rates of voluntary and confidential self-identification. 
2. Learn best practices for effective global self ID campaigns, including selecting a platform for data collection, crafting an enterprise communications campaign, navigating legal and privacy considerations, and establishing governance for appropriate data stewardship and transparency. 
3. Identify internal stakeholders who can play a pivotal role in self ID initiatives, including Legal, Human Resources, Corporate Communications, and Employee/Business Resource Groups, and strategies for effective collaboration to maximize impact. 

Active support from committed C-Suite leaders who drive initiatives across the organization is vital for creating and sustaining truly accessible and inclusive cultures. Such mature programs are rare, however they are the goal of every accessibility professional. While each is organizationally unique, mature accessibility programs often feature similarities in terms of structure and have evolved over time to be embedded in corporate culture. This session provides an advanced look at hard lessons learned, effective communication use cases, and proven strategies for enhancing, expanding, and sustaining a maturing accessibility program.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand the accessibility landscape, learn about the latest trends and advancements in the field, and discover how to avoid pitfalls along the way.  
2. Delve into how to secure leadership support and effectively plan and implement advanced accessibility strategies that align with your organizational goals. 
3. Explore how to measure the success of your accessibility efforts, such as through the Disability Equality Index, and use these insights to continuously improve your program strategy and initiatives. 

While 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 features professionals with apparent and non-apparent disabilities outlining the fundamentals of sound 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 non-inclusive.
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.

Accessibility directly impacts all aspects of disability inclusion. New developments continuously unlock paths for more people to participate meaningfully and fully. This session explores revolutionary progress in digital accessibility and the critical role of communications leadership in modeling accessibility for all. At the heart of matter, we celebrate the powerful everyday innovations driven by talent with disabilities.   

Lunch will be provided. 

The Disability Equality Index celebrates 10 years of corporate disability inclusion benchmarking in 2024, and in the United States is now trusted by more than 70% of the Fortune 100 and nearly half of the Fortune 500. This milestone year for the Disability Equality Index was marked by the international expansion of scored benchmarks in seven countries, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom, following a two-year unscored global pilot that engaged nearly 100 companies. This session provides findings from the 2024 Disability Equality Index and offers a look ahead to the future of the global benchmark. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Look ahead at the future of the Disability Equality Index and how it will continually evolve to meet the changing needs of global multi-national corporations that are committed to advancing disability inclusion. 
2. Gain insights on how multi-national companies are leveraging the Disability Equality Index to develop and evolve global disability inclusion strategies to engage enterprise leadership and utilize the benchmark to establish and track success metrics. 
3. Explore best practices for building inclusive global programs for employees, customers, and suppliers with disabilities. 

Physical space accessibility is the degree to which an environment is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Accessible design for all advances usability by considering the diverse needs of all potential users from the outset. This session introduces the key design principles, requirements, benefits, challenges, and financial considerations that result in sustainable practices across a global organization. 
 
Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand the concepts and principles of accessible design for all and how they relate to physical space accessibility, including an examination of global best practices in strategic development and implementation. 
2. Learn how to make work life healthier, safer, and more productive while promoting a sense of belonging and engagement. 
3. Discover how to secure executive support, navigate challenges, and achieve measurable results. 

Depression, generalized anxiety, and other mental health conditions are a constant and consistent component of daily life for the people they affect. There is no choice to check your mental health at the door when beginning your work day; the only option is to navigate the workplace with a focus on mitigating triggers and maximizing wellness. This is best achieved through a collaborative effort that involves active engagement from employees living with mental health conditions along with their colleagues, managers, and the organization at large. This session will delve into proactive strategies for fostering workplace wellness and a culture of inclusion while also highlighting specific tactics for accommodating and supporting employees living with mental health conditions.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Equip participants to recognize the signs of depression and anxiety in themselves and their colleagues and provide positive ways to respond and offer support in a professional manner. 
2. Identify and discuss common workplace stressors that can impact mental health along with practical strategies for building resilience such as self-care and stress management techniques. 
3. Examine effective organizational policies, leadership practices, and environmental shifts that can create cultures of inclusion and well-being which can serve to destigmatize mental health matters and open up necessary dialogues that result in psychologically safe workplaces. 

A growing number of countries are implementing disability hiring quotas. These quotas establish a baseline requirement for businesses; however, compliance often raises awareness of disability inclusive benefits and motivates companies to meet and go beyond minimum standards to hire and retain talent with disabilities. This session highlights best practices from businesses that are meeting and exceeding in-country hiring quotas, and how they are recruiting and supporting employees with disabilities in those countries.

Learning Objectives

1. Gain insight into a sample of countries around the globe that have disability employment quotas and an overview of requirements for employers operating in these markets.
2. Learn best practices for how to source disability talent in markets with quotas and strategies for how to create a disability inclusive culture that is supportive for new hires and existing employees who newly disclose.
3. Explore how to go beyond compliance with quotas to establish stretch goals focused on exceeding government requirements and the organizational commitment required to lead in this area.

The pursuit of larger corporate clients for many smaller Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs) can often be daunting and sometimes disappointing. When the lack of experience, size, and capacity to deliver on a large scale gets you down, look no further than potential Tier 2 opportunities to grow your portfolio. Often overlooked or discounted, Tier 2 contracts can positively impact your bottom line while also putting your company on a path to larger clients. This session aims to empower DOBEs to capitalize on Tier 2 procurement opportunities for capacity-building, growth, and sustainability when Tier 1 contracts currently seem out of reach.   

Learning Objectives: 

1. Receive practical guidance on navigating Tier 2 procurement processes, including certification requirements, supplier qualification criteria, and engagement strategies. 
2. Explore best practices for positioning your business as a valuable Tier 2 supplier.  
3. Discover the importance of building sustainable partnerships with Tier 1 suppliers, corporations, and advocacy partners to create lasting business opportunities. 

Going beyond compliance and demonstrating business value and social impact is essential for growing a fledgling accessibility program into a flourishing one. It’s crucial that companies with successful accessibility programs continue to strive for impact while also measuring metrics that prove the need for and benefits of requested resources. This session explores how to gain increased leadership support and effective strategies and tactics for requesting additional funding and headcount to grow your early-stage accessibility program.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Discover how to find the key stakeholders and decision-makers across the organization who can influence the growth and sustainability of your accessibility program. 
2. Develop a compelling business case and a strategic plan for expanding your existing accessibility program as well as establishing a procurement accessibility program. 
3. Learn to implement best practices and standards for integrating accessibility into organizational culture, processes, and products while also developing measures for success and validation. 

There are many ways in which disability Employee/Business Resource Groups (E/BRGs) can collaborate across the enterprise to raise employee voices and foster inclusion. When the collective resources of all E/BRGs and other internal partners are pooled to drive initiatives, such cooperative efforts have the potential to produce greater results. This session offers global examples of initiatives E/BRGs can undertake, such as supporting self-identification campaigns, accessibility initiatives, and talent recruitment and advancement strategies, to positively impact both disability inclusion and the bottom line. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Learn how to identify key internal stakeholders and develop strategic partnerships to gain buy-in and support for E/BRG initiatives. 
2. Discover how to foster cooperative intersectionality among E/BRGs representing other diverse populations, create a cohesive community to shape policy and program changes, and build a more inclusive culture for all. 
3. Explore how E/BRGs can leverage organizational expertise and the experience and passion of allies to drive positive outcomes. 

Celebrate ten years of the Disability Equality Index by honoring the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion around the world in 2024 and recognize the Inclusion Award Winners. This year, the benchmark opened to companies in eight markets around the world: Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This awards ceremony acknowledges today’s top scoring companies while looking toward tomorrow’s multinational trends in disability inclusion.   

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. 

Appetizers will be provided. 

Walk the meeting space at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas to become oriented with the space. Tours will depart from the Conference Registration Desk, located on floor 4. 

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

Our disabilities provide us with highly valuable skills such as creativity, critical thinking, communication, empathy, adaptability, and flexibility to thrive in an ever-evolving employment landscape. For many of us, pride in being is fostered through mentorship and connection to other people with disabilities. This session celebrates #DisabilityTalent at every level of an organization and career stage. Hear pitches from Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs) with the next big idea to launch their business forward and from our NextGen Leaders who have been innovating new ideas throughout the conference.  

Lunch will be provided. 

Accessibility is an increasingly important factor when it comes to a corporation’s brand sentiment. A recent study showed that 39% of users expect brands to ensure that content is accessible to those with disabilities.  This session offers practical guidance for prioritizing accessibility across various social platforms, strategies for educating teams, and leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to create content that everyone can access. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Explore accessibility best practices tailored for major social media platforms including LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, X, and TikTok. 
2. Learn strategies for incorporating accessibility guidelines into creative briefs along with tactics for motivating and educating social media teams to prioritize accessibility in content creation. 
3. Discover how to leverage AI to create inclusive content responsibly and effectively. 

Join corporate representatives to learn APAC-based companies’ workplace inclusive efforts to address compliance requirements and move beyond. Topics to be discussed include:

• Disability Inclusion in the Workplace: Overcoming Challenges Employees with Disabilities Experience
• Etiquette and Language for Colleagues, People Managers & Recruiters
• Impactful APAC Accommodations/Adjustments Policies and Practices

Change is happening rapidly as it relates to global sustainability and regulatory reporting requirements for corporations, and such changes have real implications for procurement and supplier diversity professionals. This session highlights the current and anticipated regulations and policies such as the European Sustainability Reporting Standards that are already influencing how companies help drive community impact and economic growth.   

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand the implications for key regulations, standards, and policies related to global supply chain transparency, ethical sourcing, labor rights, and environmental sustainability. 
2. Learn how to adapt global procurement strategies to ensure compliance with evolving regulatory requirements and international standards. 
3. Delve into insights about future trends, emerging issues, and evolving best practices in responsible procurement.  

Reasonable accommodations policies are often viewed as the forerunner of workplace disability inclusion programming. Yet as corporations are increasingly global, a compliance-centric, “one size fits all” approach to accommodations is becoming antiquated and constraining for the dynamic modern workforce. Companies are taking a myriad of approaches to their accommodations processes as evidenced by just 58% of 2023 Disability Equality Index respondents reporting that they utilize a centralized accommodations fund and/or allow managers a budget margin for accommodation expenses. This session explores contemporary legal considerations impacting workplace accommodations for today’s globalizing marketplace as well as evolving accommodation solutions and best practices for maximizing inclusion and effectiveness.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Examine legal frameworks that impact workplace accommodations, including significant country- and region-specific policies, and how to ensure compliance with disability and anti-discrimination laws. 
2. Learn practical strategies for assessing reasonable accommodations/productivity tools requests and implementing effective solutions that take into consideration the diverse needs of employees with disabilities. 
3. Explore various strategic models for structuring a reasonable accommodations program, including optimum organizational positioning and governance; centralized vs. decentralized; global vs. market-specific; in-house vs. outsourced; blending proactive accessibility with reactive accommodations; and more.  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming almost every industry and facet of modern life – enabling new possibilities and opportunities for people with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and needs. Large language models (LLMs) are just one type of AI that can generate natural language texts based on a given input such as a question or keyword. LLMs have shown promising results in various tasks, such as summarization, translation, dialogue, and content creation. Common concerns and challenges, such as data quality, bias, fairness, privacy, and security, are also present with LLMs and other AI models. This session examines the rapidly changing current state and the fragmenting future directions of LLMs with an accessibility and accommodations lens, highlighting some recent cases and innovations, as well as learnings and best practices focused on the full inclusion of people with disabilities.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Develop a working knowledge of AI and LLMs, including their potential and limitations, and how they can complement and augment existing accessibility and accommodations tools and solutions. 
2. Gain insights and tips on how to design, develop, and deploy LLMs for accessibility in an ethical and inclusive manner, and how to avoid or mitigate common pitfalls and risks. 
3. Discuss the potential adoption and application of ethical and inclusive principles and guidelines when creating and using AI and LLMs for accessibility. 

Leaders develop future leaders, so it is imperative that senior leaders are involved in shaping and championing development initiatives designed to grow and advance talent with disabilities. The 2023 Disability Equality Index found that 92% of participating companies have a senior executive within two levels of the CEO who is a visible ally for the disability community. Yet just 5% of those same companies indicated that they have advancement and retention programs solely focused on their employees with disabilities. This session features executives and other leaders discussing how to design and deploy professional development and leadership programs for talent with disabilities, including effective strategies for leveraging Employee/Business Resource Groups (E/BRGs) in the process.   

Learning objectives: 

1. Examine effective professional and leadership development strategies that include talent with disabilities and how to measure and report the business benefits of such initiatives.  

2. Discover how executive sponsors listen, learn, and engage, and how they can work with E/BRG leaders to advocate for inclusive talent development strategies. 

3. Discuss methods for tying disability inclusion into the performance objectives of senior leaders to maximize adoption and impact. 

Disability Employee/Business Resource Groups (E/BRGs) have become an integral part of corporate inclusion and accessibility strategies with 89% of participants in the 2023 Disability Equality Index indicating that they have such a group and nearly half having been founded in the past five years. Around the globe, disability E/BRGs are advocating for tools that enhance productivity, helping their companies create accessible products and services, and fostering cultures of inclusion. This session explores how companies are growing and strengthening their  global workplaces through the efforts of their disability-focused E/BRGs.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Learn about voluntary self-identification/disclosure campaigns and other strategies for creating a safe space for employees with disabilities to feel included, share their personal journeys, and engage with the E/BRG community. 
2. Explore ways to expand the membership of your disability E/BRG through deepened engagement with allies. 
3. Discover how to engage your Executive Sponsor to ensure that the E/BRG goals are aligned with the business goals, help make connections across the organization, and remove barriers. 

There’s more to accessibility than simply ensuring that the products and services that you develop internally are useable by people with disabilities. It’s equally important that you take intentional steps to establish a governance structure and procurement process that helps you source digital and physical products from vendors that prioritize accessibility. An effective procurement accessibility program begins with determining which products and services are in scope and then crafting appropriate accessibility contract requirements. This session covers the use of Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) and Accessibility Compliance Reports (ACRs) along with the implementation of a governance program to ensure accessibility timelines are met.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Gain a comprehensive understanding of how to incorporate accessibility requirements into service agreements, statements of work, and requests for proposal. 
2. Learn how to assess and evaluate the accessibility of products and services during the procurement process and effective ways to collaborate with suppliers and vendors that might be early on their accessibility journey. 
3. Discover how to use VPATs and ACRs effectively and learn about setting up a governance program to ensure that accessibility timelines and standards are met. 

We’re rapidly approaching the five-year mark since the first cases of Covid-19 began impacting the population and workplaces in pandemic proportions. Even now we’re still navigating the various complexities associated with returning to the office and how the policies and practices related to the reasonable accommodations process have been significantly altered by Covid-19 itself and its ripple effects. This session explores how to navigate the new normal of requesting and fulfilling reasonable accommodations in a post-pandemic workplace, and how considerations such as returning to physical locations following a prolonged remote work arrangement and the emergence of hybrid working models have introduced complex variables to the process.   

Learning Objectives: 

1. Explore how Covid-19 has introduced a host of new considerations into the reasonable accommodations process, such as the emergence of Long Covid as a covered condition; the impact that Covid had on exacerbating pre-existing disabilities – some of which may not have previously required reasonable accommodations; and how newly-diagnosed disabilities – particularly those related to mental health – resulted from the pandemic. 
2. Discuss how recent additions and revisions to legislative policies in select jurisdictions have changed the landscape for post-pandemic return to work accommodations processes for large employers. 
3. Learn how a coordinated approach to accessibility and accommodations can create a more seamless integration of the digital and physical work environments that can enhance inclusion and productivity by maximizing individual mobility through hybrid models and collective collaboration across workspaces.  

Disability-related transparency is on the verge of widespread global adoption for both voluntary and mandatory sustainability reporting. Market pressures and legislative modernization are driving disability indicators into public workforce disclosures. This session examines new research from Disability:IN that illuminates the state of disability reporting among European, Global, and United States Fortune 500 companies as disclosed in companies’ most recent annual sustainability reports and what you can do to stay current. 
 
Learning Objectives:  

1. Dive into disability reporting trends and insights from the European, Global, and U.S. Fortune 500 lists.  
2. Examine the various ways in which disability is reported on such as qualitative and quantitative disclosures across workforce initiatives, inclusive procurement, and accessibility programs.  
3. Develop a foundational knowledge of how market forces and legislative updates are requiring companies to build organizational capacity around disability data – and what you can do to keep up-to-date. 

Neuroinclusion is about recognizing and embracing the diverse ways our brains function. It’s an essential aspect of creating an inclusive work environment where everyone can thrive. This session defines neurodiversity while providing an understanding of its impact on business and seeks to equip participants with practical strategies to promote neuroinclusion. 

Learning Objectives 

1. Gain an understanding of and appreciation for the strengths and unique perspectives of neurodiverse individuals across the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain. 
2. Learn how to implement inclusive practices that can create an environment that accommodates and leverages different cognitive styles. 
3. Equip managers with tools to lead neuroinclusive teams effectively, including tips on how to optimize HR processes such as recruiting, onboarding, performance evaluations, development, and advancement. 

Heavy appetizers will be provided. 

As companies increasingly seek to advance global supplier inclusion initiatives, unique opportunities and complex challenges persist. Business leaders are facing key considerations associated with integrating diversity and inclusion initiatives into supply chain management strategies. This session offers a comprehensive exploration of the evolving approach to supplier diversity within the context of global supply chains.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand the global supplier diversity and inclusion landscape, including legislative, regulatory, and privacy considerations, and how to navigate effectively.  
2. Learn the key elements for building impactful global supplier inclusion initiatives beyond the United States, including how to recognize, react to, and recover from critical challenges. 
3. Discover trends and best practices for developing and accelerating global supplier diversity strategies gleaned from the 2024 Disability Equality Index. 

As the world continues to grapple with unprecedented challenges and economic uncertainties, the specter of burnout looms larger than ever. Unlike diagnosable mental health conditions, burnout doesn't have a distinct label in the DSM-5 or its iterations, yet its effects on individuals and organizations are tangible and far-reaching. The Harvard Business Review estimates annual healthcare spending due to workplace burnout could be as much as $190 billion while Gallup suggests that burned out employees cost companies 34% of salary allocations because they are disengaged from their work. This session delves into the intricate connection between burnout and its repercussions on an organization's bottom line. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Learn the warning signs of workplace burnout and strategies for intervention and mitigation of its personal and organizational effects. 
2. Discover the bottom line impact of pervasive workplace burnout, including increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, reduced engagement, heightened turnover, and difficulty recruiting, along with systemic strategies for lessening its negative effects on organizational culture and business outcomes. 
3. Examine how burnout can uniquely impact employees with disabilities and how to safeguard yourself and your colleagues from its potential pitfalls. 

What is accessibility, and why is it important? If you or others inside your organization are asking these questions, then it’s time to learn the basics for building an effective enterprise accessibility program. This session examines the basics of accessibility, including defining key terms, identifying who benefits from accessibility and how, the fundamentals of accessibility standards and guidelines, and where to begin in building a business case for an increased focus on accessibility inside your company

Learning Objectives:

1. Gain an understanding of basic accessibility terminology and the fundamentals of standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
2. Explore the different ways in which accessibility manifests for and benefits individuals with a variety of disabilities, including deaf/hard of hearing, blind/low vision, mobility, and neurodivergent.
3. Discover key concepts for getting accessibility going at your company, including creating a culture of accessibility, getting leadership support, and establishing an operating model.

This session will feature a brief overview of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the European Accessibility Act (EAA), and other EMEA rules aimed at workplace and product accessibility. As outlined below, corporate leaders will present their strategies to advance inclusion while striving to meet and exceed EMEA compliance requirements.   

Learning Objectives:

1. Techniques to Plan and Launch Global Self-ID in EMEA, Considering Privacy Restrictions
2. EMEA Accommodations/Adjustments Policies and Practices, Including Physical Accessibility
3. Growing Business/Employee Resource Group Chapters in EMEA to Engage Employees with Disabilities
4. The Importance of Digital & Product Accessibility

The closing plenary offers five big takeaways to make 2025 a record year for disability inclusion in any organization, throughout the value chain, and around the world. This action-oriented session is meant to send you on your way with a packed agenda for the next 12 months. Inspired by thought leadership from Disability:IN and its partners, you will leave Las Vegas full of ideas to activate and empower your network.