Relay Resources Announces DisabilityNext Summit in Portland, Oregon, This April

The one-day event will address the future of disability inclusion at work.

PORTLAND, OREGON / ACCESS Newswire / January 17, 2025 /Relay Resources, the region 's leading disability social enterprise nonprofit, has announced its first-of-a-kind DisabilityNext Summit, taking place on April 10, 2025, at Portland State University 's Viking Pavilion at the Peter W. Stott Center. The summit will bring together thought leaders, futurists, and innovators to shape the future of disability inclusion in the workplace. Early bird registration is now open through February 18; more information is available here.

"We 're thrilled to host this impactful one-day conference with global thought leaders to accelerate the forward movement of disability inclusion in the workplace," said Dr. Jennifer Camota Luebke, president and CEO of Relay Resources. "Research has shown that including people with and without disabilities in inclusive workplaces leads to a more engaged and productive workforce. This event is geared toward C-suite executives, human resource leaders, and leaders in government, higher education, and nonprofits who are both pragmatic and passionate about finding innovative solutions for transforming workplaces to become more disability inclusive and accessible for everyone."

The DisabilityNext Summit will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions and fireside chats about various aspects of disability inclusion. Orlando Williams, CEO of Motus Recruiting and former Portland Trail Blazers TV analyst, will emcee the event. Featured speakers will include:

• Andrew Holbrook,chief accessibility officer of Wells Fargo, who leads accessibility initiatives for their employees, customers and communities.

• Imani Barbarin, disability rights and inclusion activist, speaker, and founder of Crutches and Spice.

• Dr. Lawrence Fung, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Neurodiversity Project and the Neurodiversity Clinic, whose research lab focuses on the neurobiology of autism and innovative interventions for neurodivergent individuals.

• Mark X. Cronin and John Cronin, co-founders of John 's Crazy Socks, a father-son social enterprise inspired by John, a young man with Down syndrome, and his love of colorful and fun socks.

• Catarina Rivera, MSEd, MPH, founder of Blindish Latina, and a DEIA consultant who works with companies to improve disability awareness, inclusion and accessibility.

• Dr. Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph.D., professor of Psychology at Vanguard University and author of "The Canary Code," a guide to change-making for CEOs, managers, and HR leaders.

• Dr. Hung Jen Kuo, Ph.D., assistant professor at Michigan State University, founder of the GREAT lab, which leverages technology to help include disabled people in the workplace.

• Diego Mariscal, founder and CEO of 2Gether-International, dedicated to unleashing the entrepreneurship mindset of disabled people.

• Hannah Rose Olson, CEO and co-founder of Disclo, a global HR software designed to streamline the ADA interactive process for requesting workplace accommodations.

• Larysa Kautz, president and CEO of Melwood, which launched the AbilIT program to train people with disabilities for jobs in IT and cybersecurity.

• Dr. Lakshmi Balasubramanian, Ph.D., lecturer in Special Education at Stanford University 's Graduate School of Education, researching the use of AI in disability inclusion training curricula, and a Relay Resources board member.

• Keely Cat-Wells, founder and CEO of Making Space, a talent acquisition and learning platform that creates new pathways to employment and career advancement for disabled people.

The DisabilityNext Summit is made possible by the support of our sponsors, including Wells Fargo and The Standard. To learn more about DisabilityNext and sponsorship opportunities, please visit https://summit.relayresources.org/.

Contact Information

Alfonso Carmona
VP Marketing and Communications
marcomm@relayresources.org
503-261-1266

SOURCE: Relay Resources

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