RDC 2026 Program
The 2026 theme “Collaborate to Innovate” is reflected in our exciting program.
Monday, November 2, 2026
Morning Sessions
| 7:30AM – 8:45AM | |
| Registration Desk Opens & Buffet Breakfast
Location: Grand York Ballroom |
Breakfast sponsor: Windsor Region Employment Network |
| 9:00AM – 9:15AM |
| Welcoming Remarks
CEO and ODEN Board Location: Grand York Ballroom |
| 9:15AM – 10:15AM | |
| Opening Plenary – “Built for This: The Missing Piece to a Team That Sustains and Performs”
Presenter: Andrea D. Carter, Belonging First Location: Grand York Ballroom |
Session sponsor: Collège Boréal  |
| 10:15AM – 10:45AM | |
| Networking Break | Break sponsor: London Regional Employment Services  |
| 10:45AM – 12:00PM | ||
| 1A – From Insight to Action: Building Conditions Your Team Needs to Sustain and Perform | 1B – Tourism Careers: Building Pathways to Opportunity | 1C – Session Coming Soon |
| Presenter:
Andrea D. Carter, Belonging First |
Presenter:
Jasmine Qi, Tourism HR Canada |
Presenter: TBD |
| Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C | Location: Vaughan WestA |
Afternoon Sessions
| 12:15PM – 1:30PM | |
| Buffet Lunch
Light It Up! for NDEAM Review Location: Grand York Ballroom |
Lunch sponsor: FedCap Canada  |
| 1:30PM – 2:45PM | ||
| 2A – Practical Approaches to How AI can Empower Employees and Allow our Staff to Adapt | 2B – Building Inclusive Pathways to Careers in Agriculture & Agri-Food | 2C – From Campus to Career: Collaborating Across Sectors to Foster Inclusive Talent Pipelines |
| Presenter:
Zachary Rose, Magnet |
Presenter:
Jennifer Wright, CAHRC |
Presenter:
Michelle Willson, CCRW |
| Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C | Location: Vaughan West |
| 2:45PM – 3:15PM | |
| Networking Break | Break sponsor: London Regional Employment Services |
| 3:15PM – 4:30PM | ||
| 3A – From Design to Practice: Emerging Promising Practices in Integrated Employment Services (IES) | 3B – Building Pathways to Apprenticeship: Expanding Access and Success in the Skilled Trades | 3C – Building a Disability Inclusive Healthcare Workforce |
| Presenters:
Deborah Childs, WCG Employment Services Andrew McMurray, London Regional Employment Services Sarah Haase, Fleming College |
Presenters:
Lovey Sidhu, Skillplan Rylan Degenhardt, SkillPlan |
Presenter:
Bruce Squires, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital |
| Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C | Location: Vaughan West |
| 5:00PM – 6:00PM | |
| Paint Night! Paint our Province (5:30-6:30pm – Gd York C)
OR Yoga with Disability Inclusive Yoga (5:00-6:00pm – Gym)
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THESE ACTIVITIES |
Paint Night sponsor: Michaels |
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Morning Sessions
Business Stream Schedule | Afternoon Sessions
| 7:30AM – 8:45AM | |
| Registration Desk Opens & Buffet Breakfast
Location: Grand York Ballroom |
Breakfast sponsor: Windsor Region Employment Network |
| 8:00AM – 8:45AM |
| ODEN Annual Meeting
Location: Grand York Ballroom |
| 9:00AM – 10:15AM | ||
| 4A – Intersectionality in Action: Strategies for Race, Disability & Gender Inclusion at Work | 4B – Accessible Learning, Inclusive Employment: iSisters Impact Through Innovation | 4C – The Inclusion Advantage: Practical Guidance for Employing Blind & Partially Sighted Talent |
| Presenter:
Liza Arnason, ASE Community Foundation |
Presenters:
Lynda Muckleston, iSisters Technology Mentoring Estel Russo, iSisters Technology Mentoring Erin Keeley-Messier, iSisters Technology Mentoring |
Presenters: Michelle McQuigge, BALANCE for Blind AdultsChristina Peruzzi, BALANCE for Blind Adults |
| Location: Grand York Ball Room | Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C |
| 10:15AM – 10:45AM | |
| Networking Break | Break sponsor: London Regional Employment Services |
| 10:45AM – 12:00PM | ||
| 5A – Strengthening Job Development through Shared Learning
(Panel) |
5B – Lessons from a Recruitment & Retention Initiative: CAMH Employment Works | 5C – From Assessment to Apprenticeship Success: How Specialized Supports Create Inclusive Pathways in the Skilled Trades |
| Presenters:
Wendy Galloway, Career Services Brockville Mateja Mihelcic, PATH Employment Christie Scales, KEYS Employment |
Presenters:
John Fernandes, CAMH Christine Dubois-Cross, CAMH |
Presenter:
Vito Mendonca, LLSC Summer Burton, LLSC |
| Location: Grand York Ball Room | Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C |
Business Stream Morning Session
| 9:00AM – 10:15AM | |
| Business Stream Morning Session – Part 1
Location: Vaughan West |
| 10:15AM – 10:45AM | |
| Networking Break | Break sponsor: London Regional Employment Services |
| 10:45AM – 12:00PM | |
| Business Stream Morning Session – Part 2
Location: Vaughan West |
Afternoon Sessions
| 12:00PM – 1:30PM | |
| Buffet Lunch
MentorAbility – Making a Difference One Mentorship at a Time Location: Grand York Ballroom |
Lunch sponsor: FedCap Canada |
| 1:30PM – 2:45PM | |||
| 6A – Accessibility Leadership in Action: Driving Inclusion & Economic Growth | 6B – Building Inclusive Employment Pathways for Youth Who have Disabilities | 6C – Your Brain Biology is Not Fixed | 6D – From What If to What’s Possible: Growing Partnerships to Create Inclusive Employment Opportunities |
| Presenter:
Clara Chan, ADM, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Division, MSAA Meenu Sikand, ADM, Accessibility Infrastructure Secretariat, MSAA |
Presenter:
Fabio Crespin, United Way Greater Toronto
Sponsored by Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital |
Presenter:
Dr. Greg MacLuckie, Positivity Perspective |
Presenters:
Mariana Harrietha, SECC Emily Pontini, SECC |
| Location: Grand York Ballroom | Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C | Location: Vaughan West |
| 2:45PM – 3:15PM | |
| Networking Break | Break sponsor: London Regional Employment Services |
| 3:15PM – 4:30PM |
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| 7A – AI and the Inclusive Workplace | 7B – A Subtle look at Job Development and the way it was. Where is it now and how do we get what once worked – Back! | 7C – Collaborate to Innovate: Municipalities as Partners to Inclusive Employment (Panel) | 7D – IDEA – Income Support and Organization Capacity Building |
| Presenters:
Dr. Matthew Chow, TELUS Canada Agnes McLachlan, TELUS Canada |
Presenter:
Mike Bennett, Bennett Edge Consultants |
Presenter:
Jennifer Way, MODC Reem Ali, City of Peterborough Lisa Purchase, Alternatives Community Program Services Alex Ross, City of Sudbury and Susan Leeson, City of Sudbury will share thoughts with a video message. |
Presenters:
W. Francis Fung, MODC and IDEA Rebecca Gewurtz, McMaster University and IDEA |
| Location: Grand York Ballroom | Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C | Location: Vaughan West |
| 5:00PM – 6:15PM | |
| Networking Hour – Hors d’ouevres and music Cocktails (Cash Bar)Location: Grand York Corridor |
|
| 6:30PM – 8:30PM | |
| Gala Dinner
Business Champions League Inductees Location: Richmond Ballroom |
|
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Morning Sessions
| 7:30AM – 8:45AM | |
| Registration Desk Opens & Buffet Breakfast
Location: Grand York Ballroom |
Breakfast sponsor: Windsor Region Employment Network |
| 9:00AM – 10:15AM | ||
| 8A – Co-Designing for Success: Meaningfully Engaging Job Seekers in the Design & Delivery of Services | 8B – Employees are Just Customers That You Pay
Sponsored by Navacord Insurance |
8C – Collaborate Differently with Employers: Using LinkedIn for Strategic, Relationship Driven Employer Engagement |
| Presenter:
Jake Deutsch, Deloitte Rosshane Vignarajah, Deloitte |
Presenter:
Sarah Ennor, Growth Counsel
Sponsored by Navacord Insurance |
Presenters:
Ofelia Dugal, ODEN Cristin O’Sullivan, OCTC |
| Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C | Location: Vaughan West |
| 10:15AM – 10:45AM | |
| Networking Break | Break sponsor: London Regional Employment Services |
| 10:45AM – 12:00PM | ||
| 9A – You Hired Inclusively. Is Your Workplace Ready? | 9B – Beyond Access: Exploring the Intersection of Disability and Linguistics Accessibility | 9C – Level the Playing Field: Self Advocacy as a Core Employability Skill |
| Presenter:
Roman Romanov, Rick Hansen Foundation |
Presenters:
Jacob Sirois, College Borèal Véronique Boyer, College Borèal |
Presenters:
Dimple Rai, Humber Polytechnic Elaine Belanger-Porter, Humber Polytechnic |
| Location: Grand York B | Location: Grand York C | Location: Vaughan West |
A
Afternoon Sessions
| 12:00PM – 1:00PM | |
| Buffet Lunch
Location: Richmond Ballroom |
Lunch sponsor: FedCap Canada |
| 1:00PM – 2:15PM | |
| Closing Plenary Session
Presenter: Brenda Herchmer, RESET Communities Collective Location: Grand York Ballroom |
| 2:15PM – 2:30PM | |
| Closing Remarks
Location: Grand York Ballroom |
| 2:30PM – 2:45PM | |
| Surprise Snacks and To-Go Coffees
Location: Grand York Ballroom |
Check out all the amazing speakers presenting this year!
If you are an Employment Service Provider or business in Ontario, the Rethinking Disability Conference provides opportunities for your professional development. Increase capacity and learn new skills you can apply to your service offerings and inclusive-hiring processes. Register Today!
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR 2026 SPONSORS
Title Sponsor:
Accessibility Sponsor:
Platinum Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Business Stream Sponsor:
Gala Sponsor:
Networking Event Sponsor:
Breakfast Sponsor:
Network Break Sponsor:
Lunch Sponsor:
Keynote Speaker Sponsor:
Lanyard Sponsor:
Exhibitor Alley Sponsored By:
Session Sponsors:
