In March 2022, Realize will host the second annual Virtual National Summit on Episodic Disabilities and Employment. Our goal is to build awareness of episodic disability and employment, discuss best practices in accommodation for episodic disabilities, and develop a report on the outcomes. This year we are including a spotlight day on Long-COVID and the ways this condition is impacting work and employment for both those living with it and employers.
The event will highlight tools, research, and projects that are beneficial to both people living with episodic disabilities, including Long-COVID, and their employers.
We will also be presenting the National Action Plan on Episodic Disabilities and Employment that is based on recommendations from the 2021 Summit and our ongoing work in the field.
This event will take place over Zoom
March 23rd, 24th, 29th, and 30th from 1pm-3:30pm (ET)
(with a Networking session at the end
of the formal session on March 24)
March 23, 2022: Spotlight on Long-COVID
This Pre-Summit Day will bring attention to people living with long-COVID from Canada, the UK, and the USA with a panel of advocates, presentations from researchers, and a discussion on looking to the future of living and working with long-COVID.
March 24, 2022: Living and Working with Episodic Disability – Employee Voices
This first official Summit Day will include sessions on living with mental health conditions while working from those with experience, research reports on working with episodic disability, and highlight creative responses to workplace accommodation.
March 29, 2022: Workplace Episodic Disability Accommodation – Employers and HR Representatives
This second Summit Day will include a parallel mental health accommodations session from an employer perspective, a session on building a culture of accommodation and inclusion in your workplace with voices from many employment sectors including unionized workplaces, and a report on the changes we’re seeing in workplace culture and how it impacts accommodation.
March 30, 2022: Mobilizing a National Action Plan on Episodic Disabilities and Employment
This final Summit Day will include a presentation of the National Action Plan and small discussion groups for feedback and recommendations on the strategic directions. We will then open a large-group discussion to share this information. A final Action Plan will be distributed to all interested Summit participants in the summer of 2022.
View the full Agenda 2022 Virtual Summit on Episodic Disabilities and Employment Agenda
We look forward to you joining us! If you have any questions, please connect with Melissa Egan, National Lead, Episodic Disabilities at Realize – melissae@realizecanada.org.