Unemployment rates for disabled workers soared in 2020 and, as of 2024, only 48% of disabled working-age Americans are currently employed. In terms of neurodivergent workers, companies continue to struggle to retain this population by creating working environments where they can thrive.
This is why PowerToFly organized our Visible & Invisible Disabilities and Neurodivergence summit this August 21st and 22nd, highlighting a diverse lineup of thought leaders including AHRC NY's Michele Shapiro, Accessible Creates founder Sydney Elaine Butler, accessiBe team member Zachary Dillon, and writer & advocate Leanna Lee.
Our community also had a chance to hear directly from leaders at Expedia Group and Meta as well as PowerToFly team members Hunter Canning and Lex Keaton.
We closed out this edition of Diversity Reboot with a virtual job fair featuring 800 open roles across three amazing companies.
You can re-live the entire event HERE! (Scroll down the page and click on the talks in the Schedule)
Thank you to our amazing sponsors:
Featured Talks:
Expedia Group: Building a truly accessible world
Join us for an insightful fireside chat on how Expedia Group is championing accessibility both internally and for travelers around the world. Rich James, Recruiting Enablement and Operations Director at Expedia Group will explore how the company’s commitment to accessibility runs deep, from internal initiatives such as investment in ERGs and inclusive hiring practices to how they connect with external audiences and build trust in their brand via accessible marketing strategies that resonate with all communities, not just a few. Whether you are looking to improve your own accessibility or reach a whole new audience, this is the conversation for you.
Over a billion people worldwide - more than 1 in 8 of us - lives with a disability. Despite this, organizations continue to struggle with systemic ableism, lack of intersectional awareness and issues with psychological safety. These issues are compounded for those who have disabilities, and are part of other underrepresented groups. Two leaders with disabilities at Meta, Maria Onyango and Krista Rae Szaflarski explore this topic through both a personal and professional lens, with a focus on getting things right from the point of recruitment.
Although 15% of people worldwide identify as disabled, disability remains largely ignored and misunderstood by non-disabled people. But Tiffany Yu, the Asian-American daughter of immigrants living with PTSD and a permanent arm injury sustained at age nine, is ready to change that. With her experience in founding disability community groups throughout her career, from her undergraduate education at Georgetown University to her time as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs to her founding of Diversability, an award-winning community business run by disabled people focused on building disability pride, power, and leadership, Yu is uniquely positioned to consider how we might create a more accessible and equitable society for all.
In THE ANTI-ABLEIST MANIFESTO: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World, Yu presents frameworks for conversations, breaks down the language of ableism, and proposes real actions that lead to genuine and authentic allyship. Yu includes contributions from disability advocates, activists, authors, entrepreneurs, scholars, educators, and executives to highlight the importance of an intersectional view of disability and celebrates the power of stories and lived experiences to center the vast range of disabled identities that have far too often been “othered” and rendered invisible.
Purchase The Anti-Ableist Manifestohere or secure a signed copy + a free manifesto art print if you pre-order here.
More Amazing Resources:- AHRC New York - Their mission is to advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead full and equitable lives.
- Accessible Creates - Their passion is making more workplaces inclusive and accessible. They provide training and consulting to help employers.
- accessiBe - Everyone should be able to enjoy your website! accessiBe is one of the most talked-about web accessibility tools available today. Learn more here: https://accessibe.com/a/aboaaka
- Chronically Self Employed - Follow speaker Leanne Lee's thoughts from a full-time and freelance disabled writer who writes about disability.
- A Comprehensive Guide To Understanding ADHD and Sleep - in which sleep experts discuss the relationship between ADHD and sleep, the side effects it has on people’s daily lives, along with practical sleep tips for both children and adults with ADH
- A Guide To Sleep and Autism - in which sleep experts explain the links between autism and sleep, including various symptoms that can inhibit quality sleep, how sleep disorders and circadian rhythm disturbances may present in people with ASD, and practical tips to help someone with autism fall asleep easier and sleep better.
