Professional development

This online course will provide a basic introduction to autism, some experiences of it, and the best strategies to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in the workplace.

This class is interactive, self-paced, and designed for participants to take at their leisure, and without an instructor.

Register now!

Did you know there are many myths about Autism that create barriers for Autistic workers—which in turn limits their access to meaningful and sustainable employment?

In this workshop, you will:

• Read first-hand accounts of Autistic workers' workplace experiences
• Participate in discussion about myths and bias about Autism
• Examine your own biases about Autism (Everyone has bias!)
• Identify personal areas of growth to build inclusion skills in the workplace
• Formulate a professional goal you will work towards that supports neurodiversity in the workplace

Take this workshop to learn how workplaces like yours can start busting myths about Autism.

The job searching and hiring process is an incredibly challenging systemic barrier for Autistic and neurodivergent jobseekers. This workshop will help Employers and HR Professionals remove these barriers, so they don't miss out on hiring qualified and highly skilled talent!

In this workshop, you will:

• Explore inclusive hiring practices to ensure you are removing barriers for neurodiverse individuals
• Begin creating or revising a job posting for your organization that is inclusive of neurodiversity
• Identify steps to operationalize inclusive interview methods in your organization

Reducing the turnover of employees saves organizations significant costs. Come learn how to reduce turnover through utilizing strategies and practices for onboarding and advancement. These strategies optimize accessibility and are inclusive for Neurodiversity in the workplace.

In this workshop, you will:

• Explore what Autistic workers have indicated they need during onboarding and in order to access advancement opportunities
• Analyze the role of communication and mentorship in neuroinclusion
• Evaluate inherent assumptions made to measure success and achievement in the workplace

Canada has committed to becoming Barrier-Free, and will begin to roll out Canada’s first national Accessibility Standards Guidelines in 2024.

But what is accessibility? Why is it important within organizations?

This workshop sets the stage to begin fostering the competency of accessibility acumen within your organization.

In this workshop, you will:

• Discuss different mental models of disability
• Explore the most current developments of accessibility in Canada and what that means for organizations
• Brainstorm basic ideas of how to apply Universal & Inclusive Design Principles within organizations
• Reflect on the impacts of accessibility

So much of the workplace is still inaccessible to many people who live with disabilities. One of the most common accessibility needs across many different disabilities is access to information, including presentations, documents, and pdfs.

This technical skills-based workshop will cover the basics on how to apply an accessibility lens when creating or remediating documents and presentations.

In this workshop, you will:

• Explore an overview of the most current WCAG digital accessibility standards
• List basic accessibility considerations for authoring or remediating documents, slide show presentations, and PDFs
• Select an existing resource used within their organization to recreate or remediate to be accessible
• Apply basic accessibility considerations to recreate or remediate the existing resource they selected to be accessible

Not only can digital resources be made accessible, but so too can activities like 1:1 coaching, facilitation, and customer service.

Accessibility can be built into standard workplace interactions, and many accessibility skills and strategies you apply internally within your organization can also be transferred to improve your customers’/clients’ experience too.

In this workshop, you will:

• Explore an overview of the most current AODA customer service accessibility standards
• Discuss how to successfully implement 1:1 coaching, facilitation, and general customer service
• Appraise how a basic accessibility lens can be practically implemented within one of your organization’s standard workflows or practices
• Schedule into one of your organization’s standard workflows or practices when they will begin to intentionally apply a practical accessibility lens