Business Stream
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
This must attend morning session is designed for business leaders, HR professionals, managers, and supervisors who want to build greater confidence and capability in disability inclusive employment. Led by ODEN’s Disability Employment Inclusion Specialists, the session will provide a current overview of the disability employment landscape and explore the value of inclusive hiring for businesses, teams, and workplaces.
Participants will examine common barriers to inclusion, including myths and misconceptions, perceptions, stereotypes, the intersectionality of disability, and the importance of respectful, inclusive language. The session will also connect these concepts to workplace culture and creating environments where employees who have disabilities can contribute and succeed.
In the second half of our session, we'll be joined by Mark Wafer, an internationally recognized disability inclusion expert, former Tim Hortons franchise owner, and member of ODEN's Business Champions League. Combining lived experience with 25 years of experience as an inclusive employer, Mark brings a unique perspective on the value of disability inclusion in the workplace.
Through real-world examples and practical insights from his own hiring and leadership experience, Mark will demonstrate how inclusive hiring strengthens workplaces, drives business success, and how disability inclusion creates opportunities for businesses, employees, and job seekers alike.
After the morning session, business attendees are invited to join employment service providers in the Grand Ballroom for lunch, followed by afternoon sessions of your choosing. The day offers a valuable opportunity to learn, connect, and strengthen inclusive employment practices across both the business and service provider communities.
AGENDA:
7:30-8:45am - Breakfast
8:45-10:15am - Morning Session
10:15-10:45am - Break
10:45-12pm - Morning Session continued
12pm-1:30pm - Lunch
1:30-2:45pm - Afternoon Session 1
2:45-3:15pm - Networking Break
3:15-4:30pm - Afternoon Session 2
If your organization is serious about attracting, supporting, and retaining talent who have disabilities, this is a day your business leaders and HR team will not want to miss.
Certification & CPD Hours: Participants will receive the full ODEN Disability Awareness Confidence Training, a certificate of completion, and 3.75 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours accredited by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA).
If you are not a business and want to register for the RDC 2026 Conference, click here.
Refund/Cancellation Policy:
October 1 - 50% Refund
October 2 - October 27 - 25% Refund
After October 28 - No refund
All individuals who attend RDC2026 may be recorded, photographed and videotaped, and such recordings may be used in audio, visual, and audiovisual productions ("Content") created by the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN).
Your entrance to these event locations will constitute your consent and grant of rights to ODEN to use your image, likeness, and voice contained in the Content, in any media, globally and in perpetuity.
Should you wish not to be photographed or recorded on a video at RDC2026, please notify a member of the ODEN staff so they can relay your wishes to one of the event photographers.
Thank you for your cooperation.
