Over two mornings, you'll build your network, further your leadership journey, and help brainstorm how to increase the visibility and influence of people with disabilities in workplaces nationwide.
The Disability Leadership Summit will pair meaningful connections with practical learning. You’ll experience:
Leaders and emerging leaders with disabilities, along with their employers and allies.
The Disability Leadership Summit is by, for, and about people with disabilities. A minimum of 50% of the attendees are disabled.
Kareem Dale is a proven executive leader with 20 years of executive legal experience, as well as over four years of government policy experience serving as the Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy for President Obama – the highest-ranking position on disability ever created by a President.
Jessica Rafuse is a leader in Accessibility and Disability Inclusion. As the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Policy for Accessibility at Microsoft, Jessica works with customers, partners, and policymakers to accelerate accessibility globally. Jessica is an attorney, who prior to joining the Microsoft team, promoted the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action within multi-national corporations. Jessica began her legal career in government, including her work as an Administrative Judge for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Jessica has muscular dystrophy and uses a power wheelchair.
A familiar resource may offer untapped potential for professional development opportunities for disabled leaders in the private sector. Employee or Business Resource Groups (ERG/BRGs) are voluntary, employee-led affinity groups that can play an important role in leadership development as well as have a greater cultural impact. While about 88 percent of companies have these affinity groups for diversity in general, only 70 percent of companies offer ERG/BRGs that are disability specific. Companies looking for strong disabled leaders should invest in disability-focused ERB/BRGs.
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