This workshop will equip employers with the essential knowledge and tools required to foster a more inclusive and accessible workplace. Participants will explore key concepts such as assumptions and biases, inclusive language, models of disability, and strategies for removing workplace barriers.
Designed as an introduction to disability inclusion, this session highlights best practices for reducing stigma and creating an environment where all employees can thrive. Employers will leave with practical insights and actionable strategies to enhance inclusivity in recruitment, workplace culture, and employee engagement.
Presenters:
Mubina Jaffer, Manager, Training and Education – Abilities Centre
Mubina Jaffer joined Abilities Centre in 2023, driven by a deep connection to its mission and vision. She holds an Honours BA in Sociology & Economics from the University of Toronto, along with multiple mindset coaching certifications, and brings years of experience in the IDEA space and coaching industry. As a wheelchair user and a dedicated single mom to a teenager, Mubina’s intersectional lived experience deepens her expertise in accessibility and inclusion. Her work across various projects has further strengthened her skills as a manager, facilitator, and trainer. She has collaborated with people worldwide, spanning diverse backgrounds and ages, including athletes and youth. For Mubina, serving others and fostering meaningful connections isn’t just a job—it’s her calling, and she embraces it wholeheartedly.
Passionate about empowering others, Mubina sees working with people as more than just a career—it’s her calling. A former competitive parasport athlete, she now enjoys spending her free time cheering on her son from the stands of local hockey arenas, proving that whether on the ice or in life, she’s always in the game.
Marta Swirydowicz, Senior Coordinator, Training and Education – Abilities Centre 
Marta Swirydowicz joined Abilities Centre in 2021 and has been on a mission ever since—making accessibility not just a requirement but a reality. With expertise in Accessible Communication and Accessible Spaces, she navigates AODA, OBC, and Universal Design Standards like a pro, ensuring compliance while always pushing for more inclusive, barrier-free spaces.
For Marta, accessibility isn’t just a job, it’s personal. Supporting her neurodiverse son and her sister with vision and hearing loss has given her firsthand insight into the challenges and opportunities in creating truly inclusive environments. Whether she’s auditing healthcare facilities, hotels, municipal buildings, or outdoor spaces like parks and playgrounds, she brings a keen eye for detail and a deep commitment to accessibility. She’s also a whiz at making communication materials—whether Word documents, PowerPoints, or PDFs—clear and accessible for all.
When she’s not championing accessibility, you’ll find Marta traveling, staying active, or enjoying time with her family. She also dedicated two years to the Whitby Accessibility Advisory Committee, sharing her knowledge to help make the community more inclusive—one step, ramp, and caption at a time.
About Abilities Centre:
At Abilities Centre, our purpose is to unlock potential through accessibility. Our vision is to build a better, barrier-free life for all Canadians. Our Mission is to reimagine accessibility and redefine the way Canadians live, work and play. This is achieved through our comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to accessibility and inclusion. As a community hub, research lab and innovation incubator we work alongside individuals with lived experience, our members, participants, and partners to create programs that address specific accessibility and inclusion gaps for identified stakeholder groups within our mandate of improving quality by supporting health and wellness, social inclusion, and economic participation.
*Training will begin at 1:00 pm.*
Please note that by attending this event, you are agreeing for your likeness to be used for marketing & promotional purposes.
*The fee has been subsidized through the CDC Professional Development Partners*
https://www.orilliacdc.com/events/building-inclusive-workplaces/