A unique feature of this year’s DEAM Idea Conference are the panelists. Each panelist has lived experience with disability, and they represent both the employer and employee lens. Our emcee and keynote speaker identify with the disability community as well. By having so many stakeholders from the disability community, we hope that attendees can tap into perspectives they may not have heard before. The main takeaways will be dependent on the individual but by having conversations about workplace inclusion and listening to individuals who have been through it, let one of your takeaways be about envisioning an inclusive workplace that is both sustainable and on that covers the intersectionalities that exist within disability.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from our emcee, keynote speaker, panelist speakers and breakout room facilitators at the conference.
Carly Neis, our emcee, is a disabled actor, playwright, and arts advocate with Cerebral Palsy. They also work as a disability/access consultant when not on stage, applying their lived experience to help curate accessible experiences and spaces for all. You can find them at https://www.carlyneis.com/.
Nisha Patel, the keynote speaker, is an award-winning queer and disabled spoken word artist. She was the City of Edmonton’s 8th Poet Laureate and is a Canadian Individual Slam Champion. Find her at https://www.nishapatel.ca/.
Brooke Leifso MA, on the employer panel, is a Disabled/Crip applied researcher and social change facilitator. She brings many levels of lived experience to the NorQuest College Workplace Accessibility research chair position and uses an intersectional disability justice social model approach in her work. She has lived experience of disability and disability advocacy, facilitating support groups for parents with disabilities (at Gateway Association), and adults with developmental disabilities to self-advocate and build community (Self Advocate Federation) and has worked for many years as a front-line Child and Youth Care Counsellor.
Alexis Hilliard, on the employer panel, is a queer and disabled YouTube Creator and self-taught entrepreneur. Born without her left hand, Alexis uses her stump as a kitchen tool – from spatula to juicer – while expanding the vocabulary of what’s possible in the kitchen each week on her YouTube show ‘Stump Kitchen.’ She has turned this brand into a platform to speak on – and celebrate – body diversity, and the amazing, unique ways we move through the world. Alexis is the first Canadian Ambassador to the Lucky Fin Project, and holds a Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada for her work. She challenge society’s preconceived notions around disability by ‘disarming’ her audience with wit and charm (and sometimes, delicious stump-approved recipes)! Find out more at https://stumpkitchen.com/.
Brad Bartko, on the employer panel, is on a mission to create a barrier free world, so that the people after him will experience a more inclusive world. Brad has lived his life in a world that is not built for him. From the day he was born, he has faced many challenges and obstacles that some could never imagine as an individual with cerebral palsy and in a wheelchair, full time. His goal is that through his story, you will find hope, inspiration, and become acutely aware of the struggles that the disability community faces daily. He foresees change to be a community initiative and not an individual one. He is the co-founder of “disABILITY – Accessible by Design”. Find out more at https://www.disabilityabd.com/.
Angela Symon is one of our breakout room facilitators. She first identified as a person with a disability when she had her first stroke, which happened when she was a youth. While it left her with a different brain than she had before, she also managed to adapt to the change. Her current career as a Unit Clerk for Alberta Health Services is not where she predicted her life would lead her to. With her heart set on a completely different career than she has now, she will lead the discussion group around what motivated her to make the choices she did. Although she has been working for Alberta Health Services for over 15 years, it is not the place she would dream it to be. Come learn about what motivates her, see why she stayed so long in her current career, and what her future holds.
Lionel Migrino is also one of our breakout room facilitators. Lionel’s breakout session will explore the intersectionality between race and disability with an emphasis on the importance of anti-racism in disability justice. As a Filipino Canadian with cerebral palsy, Lionel cannot hide his visible identities. He wants to bring this issue to the forefront and look into disabilities through an anti-racism and decolonization lens. Lionel is a proven community leader and inclusion facilitator. He graduated with a Bachelor of Management degree from the University of Lethbridge, majoring in Human Resources and Labour Relations. He works at Pembina Pipeline, supporting the People’s Programs and accessibility initiatives.
Samantha Bonwick is also one of our breakout room facilitators. Samantha has been breaking barriers since she was born. In 1985, Shannon Jackson, a first mom, was told that her baby girl was having complications and was rushed into an emergency C-section. Within a minute, her baby was born and transported to the local airport where she was then flown by what would be named STARS a few months later. Today, Samantha is a thriving adult who, in spite of her dramatic entry into the world, is here as a person with disabilities to talk on the importance of inclusivity in the workplace.
The list of speakers is reason enough to register for the event with registration remaining open until October 23rd. AEFN will continue hosting DEAM events in the coming years and is planning on hosting quarterly events that focus on workplace inclusion for individuals with disabilities, stay tuned!
This event could not have been possible without our planning committee, PlanIt Sound, Gateway Association, our sponsors – EmployAbilities Alberta, MEG Energy and our project funder The Government of Alberta.
See you at the conference! Register here.
Author: Mariebelle Sawma
