Hospitality Works Better with Disability Inclusion: A Panel Discussion 

Part of the Work Without Barriersevent series for NDEAM 2025 

October 21^st, 2025, 1:00PM EST. 

Ontario’s tourism labour market is forecasted to grow by 183,500 job openings by 2027. Yet, many businesses continue to operate below full capacity because of worker shortages. Staff retention remains a challenge as job hopping is common, and employers are struggling to keep teams intact through peak seasons (Tourism SkillsNet Ontario, 2023). 

In this panel, leaders in the tourism and hospitality industry will share how disability inclusion is helping them address these challenges. Businesses will share their real stories of how they improved retention, built stronger teams, and enhanced guest experiences through disability inclusion. 

As part of the Work Without Barriers event series for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2025, this discussion will explore both the opportunities and challenges businesses face in diversifying their hiring and how support from community partners can help close the labour shortage gap. 

Our Speakers: 

• Wanda Heimbecker, Co-Owner of Whistling Gardens 

• Hildegard Snelgrove, Business Development Consultant at Tourism Hamilton, City of Hamilton 

Be part of the movement to build workplaces without barriers. Register today! 

Closed captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided.