Public Resource Center

20260121 | All The Ways We Work - Supporting Disabled Talent (Seen & Unseen)

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20 days ago

Kacie Koons

For closed captioning, please view the recording here: https://vimeo.com/1157178182. If you need HRCI or SHRM credits after viewing this recording, please email kacie@directemployers.org to request the corresponding Program IDs.

Disability has quietly shaped everyday innovation, from text messaging to touchscreens, yet the people behind those ideas are often overlooked. Through personal storytelling and concepts like the Social Model of Disability and the Curb Cut Effect, this session reframes disability as a catalyst for creativity, problem-solving, and workplace innovation.

We’ll explore how the lived experience of disability builds valuable skills and why many Disabled, Deaf, Chronically Ill, and Neurodivergent people hesitate to disclose due to stigma and bias. Participants will gain actionable strategies to support hidden disabilities, build psychological safety, and create environments where people feel safe and empowered to show up authentically.

Throughout the session, we’ll introduce Making Space, a talent acquisition and learning platform built by Disabled leaders. We partner with employers to:

• Train teams in Disability Confidence rooted in lived experience

• Build accessible systems and workflows beyond compliance

• Source and pre-qualify Disabled talent through skill-based, accessible learning

• Leverage AI to translate lived experience into transferable workplace skills

Our approach ensures companies don’t just hire Disabled talent—they retain, support, and empower them to thrive.

Participants will leave with practical strategies to create psychological safety, build accessible workplaces by design, and unlock innovation by integrating disability across the entire employee experience, from recruitment to leadership.