Toronto In-Person Exhibit Hall & Networking Event
Date: Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Location: Deloitte Canada (8 Adelaide St W #200, Toronto, ON)
Registration required.
By agreeing to attend in-person, please know there is a chance you could be filmed or photographed by our professional photographer on-site. If you have an issue with this, please do not hesitate to contact us at connectingthedots@cnib.ca
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Conference Schedule
9:00 a.m. Sensory Relief Room opens – ALL DAY - Room 32, 6th Floor
9:15 a.m. Delegate registration opens. Room: Main Lobby, Ground Floor.
9:30 a.m. Vendor Alley opens. Room: 6th Floor.
10:00 a.m. Indigenous Elder Blessing and Opening Remarks. Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
10:30 a.m. Opening Keynote: Changing Attitudes, Building Awareness and Championing Accessibility. Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
10:50 a.m. Morning Refreshment Break. Room: MPR Lobby, 5th Floor.
11:00 a.m. Connecting the Dots Spotlight Speaker Series 1. Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
- Session 101: CIBC – Financial Literacy Across the Generations
- Session 102: Humanware – Monarch: A Dynamic Tactile Display
- Session 103: Holland Bloorview – Project Inclusion: Lived experience videos anchor accessibility and inclusion e-learning
- Session 104: CNIB, The Way Forward – Follow the Ripple with Us
- Session 105: Scotiabank – The Candidate Networking Journey
12:00 p.m. Follow the Ripple: Spotlight Series 1 Debrief and Discussion. Room: 39, 6th Floor.
12:00 p.m. Vendor Alley. Room: 6th Floor.
12:30 p.m. Lunch and Prize Draw. Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
1:45 p.m. Prize Announcement. Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
1:30 p.m. Connecting the Dots Spotlight Speaker Series 2. Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
- Session 201: CNIB – Why Accommodation Alone Doesn’t Work
- Session 202: CNIB – ABCs of iOS
- Session 203: CNIB – Clearing our Path Together
- Session 204: PAC – Myth-Busting Federal Government Procurement
- Session 205: Deloitte – Emerging Trends Affecting Accessibility
2:30 p.m. Mental Health, Nutrition & Movement Break
2:45 p.m. Follow the Ripple: Spotlight Series 2 Debrief and Discussion. Rooms: 39, 6th Floor.
3:30 p.m. Connecting the Dots Spotlight Speaker Series 3. Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
- Session 301: CNIB – Tactonom: The New Way to Learn
- Session 302: The Importance of Inclusive Design: How Do We Take Intent and Make it a Reality?
- Session 303: Moneris - Keeping Payments Accessible in the Touchscreen World
- Session 304: Enterprise – Coming to Work with CNIB: From Vendor to Partner
- Session 305: Microsoft – Shaping the Future of Work with AI
4:45 p.m. Follow the Ripple: Spotlight Series 3 Debrief and Discussion. Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
5:00 p.m. Vendor Alley Closes.
5:15 p.m. Closing Remarks and Prize Giveaways. Room: 5th Floor
5:30 p.m. Main Event Close.
Session Descriptions
Opening Keynote
Keynote with Jennison Asuncion, Head, Accessibility Engineering Evangelism, LinkedIn, Robert Fenton, Chair, Board of Directors, CNIB, and John M. Rafferty, President & CEO, CNIB.
In this fireside keynote chat between former longtime CNIB Volunteer Jennison Asuncion, CNIB Board Chair Robert Fenton, and John Rafferty, President & CEO, we will talk about the championing accessibility and the importance of the journey. What does it mean to be an accessibility champion? Why is it vital to have more people who are blind and low vision involved? Where and when is it important to be an accessibility champion? With linkages to education, employment, and technology, this dynamic conversation will give participants insights into building, influencing and embracing their inner champion.
Room: MPR, 5th Floor.
Connecting the Dots Spotlight Speaker Series
Exhibitors, vendors, and partners of CNIB will share ideas about issues affecting people with sight loss, cutting-edge and tried-and-true products, assistive technologies and services. Talks are on a first come first served basis and will be 10 minutes in length with the opportunity to network and connect further with speakers on their topics.
Spotlight Speaker Series 1
Room: MPR, 5th Floor
Time: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Session Length: 10 minutes per speaker.
Session 101
CIBC – Financial Literacy Across the Generations
This session will cover all things financial literacy! What does it mean and what does it look like? Learn about all the small steps you can take to improve your financial well being and all the various tools and products CIBC offers for financial planning like cash flow calculator, SmartPlanner, GoalPlanner, CIBC Insights, and RDSP. Leave feeling more financially savvy and empowered.
Speaker: Babar Baig, Senior Financial Advisor, CIBC
Session 102
HumanWare – Monarch: A Dynamic Tactile Display – Enabling Braille Dots to Serve 21st Century Needs
This session will discuss the upcoming Monarch Braille and tactile graphics display developed by HumanWare and the American Printing House for the Blind with their technology provider DOT Inc. Using a new innovation in braille cell technology, this tool will be capable of displaying tactile graphics and traditional braille on the same surface, unlocking access to instant information like never before. blind. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss these findings with us and one another, contributing valuable information
Speaker: Peter Tucic, Director of Strategic Partnerships, HumanWare
Session 103
Holland Bloorview – Project Inclusion
Welcome to Project Inclusion. The goal is to make inclusion a reality for all students with disabilities and working together to support all students and combat ableism in the classroom, on the playground and beyond. Learn about new experience- and evidence-informed online modules designed for K-12 educators and school board staff. Of interest to anyone in the field of inclusion, modules in this resource focus on lived experiences of students with disabilities, parents, and educators. Intended to scaffold educators' existing knowledge, modules offer evidence and practical strategies to enhance learning and life outcomes.
Speakers: Joanne Close, Project Manager for Project Inclusion and Jean Hammond, Family Support Specialist, Holland Bloorview
Session 104
CNIB – The Way Forward: Follow the Ripple with Us
Built on the direction and feedback of people who are blind, low vision, or Deafblind across Canada, we’re proud to introduce The Way Forward, a new, five-year strategic plan that we believe will create lasting change for our community nationwide. From our consultations with people affected by sight loss nationwide, we identified the three most pressing and prolific issues facing our community, and we developed three key commitments to tackle those issues head-on. Join us to learn more about this exciting new direction and how you can get involved.
Speakers: Suzanne Decary-van den Broek, RVP, Central Canada and Victoria Nolan, Manager, CNIB Next Generation
Session 105
Scotiabank – The Candidate Networking Journey
This session will explore the candidate networking journey from leveraging CNIB's Come to Work networking sessions with our recruiters to our career portal to attending events through to LinkedIn. Attendees will learn how to make the most out of those touchpoints and how to introduce yourself, the importance of an elevator pitch, doing research, and setting goals.
Speaker: Loran Upton, DE&I Program Manager, Global Talent Acquisition Strategies, Scotiabank
Spotlight Speaker Series 2
Room: MPR, 5th Floor
Time: 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Session Length: 10 minutes per speaker.
Session 201
CNIB – Why Accommodation Alone Doesn’t Work
Disclosure doesn't work alone. This session will take a deep dive into the disclosure and accommodation framework for persons with disabilities, at work and at school. Why is it set up the way it is? How does it work from the other side? How is this framework applied to life outside of work and school? Can we, as persons with sight loss, navigate it any better? And, most importantly, is there a better way to be accessible, at school, at work, in society?
Speaker: Wayne Henshall, Director, Partnerships and John M. Rafferty, President & CEO, CNIB
Session 202
CNIB is developing an app, ABCs of iOS, to address the technology gap for blind or partially sighted children under 6 years of age, to enable them to begin school as tech savvy as their sighted peers across Canada. The project is piloting an education app with games to teach digital literacy skills; providing education and hands-on technology training to caregivers; and ensuring young blind and partially sighted children are fully immersed in learning from the moment they start school.
Speaker: Monika Borchert, Manager, Early Years Digital Literacy Project, CNIB
Session 203
CNIB – Clearing our Path Together
Canadian provinces and the federal government have or will be establishing standards on accessible public spaces. Many of these standards are being developed as a result of accessibility legislation such as the Accessible Canada Act not to mention five provinces who have done likewise. Of these, most notedly, is CSA-B651-2023 Accessible design for the built environment. International standards, of which there are many are typically authored through the International Standards Organization (ISO) who has been in the business for many years. Through this year's Connecting the Dots conference CNIB would like to get your input on the following questions:
- If you had the opportunity to influence the existing or emerging standards, what would you like to see included?
- What do you feel isn’t helpful?
- Do you think that more standards are needed and if so, what would or should they contain?
Speaker: Lui Greco, Lead, IT Accessibility & Assistive Technology, CNIB
Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC) – Myth-busting Federal Government Procurement
Speaker: Menelaos (Manny) Argiropoulos, Acting Regional Director, Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC)
Session 205
Deloitte – Emerging Trends Affecting Accessibility
As product creators, we strive to create digital experiences that are accessible and inclusive for all. In recent years, our industry has seen an influx of emerging technology and design trends like spatial computing, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence tools that present unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to accessibility and inclusion. Together we’ll explore some of the ways in which the future of design and research will play a key role in the relationship between technology and accessibility, both as a driver of innovation and to ensure we build products that benefit all of humanity.
Speaker: Paul Jurkovic, Senior Manager, Group Experience Design Manager at Deloitte Digital
Spotlight Speaker Series 3
Room: MPR, 5th Floor
Time: 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Session Length: 10 minutes per speaker.
Session 301
CNIB – Tactonom: The New Way to Learn
Understanding graphics with the sense of touch and without help is almost an impossible feat for blind individuals. Join Andrea Voss from CNIB SmartLife as she introduces a new innovative piece of technology called the Tactonom Reader. This device explains tactile elements with additional voice information, backgrounds and details. The Tactonom Reader is breaking down barriers to education, mobility, work and participation in the world through innovative technology that will be the new way.
Speaker: Andrea Voss, Manager, SmartLife Business Development, CNIB
Session 302 -The Importance of Inclusive Design – How Do We Take Intent and Make it a Reality?
Speakers: Lukas Dolowy, Director, Partner Marketing, MasterCard and David Demers, Managing Director, CNIB Access Labs and President CNIB Frontier Accessibility
Moneris - Keeping Payments Accessible in the Touchscreen World
Payment solutions are constantly evolving and keeping pace with rapid change can be a challenge for ensuring accessibility support. Marta Rzeszowska, VP of Products, Moneris will discuss the challenges the market currently faces, how companies like Moneris are responding and working to help provide accessible payment solutions for all Canadians.
Speaker: Marta Rzeszowska, Vice President of Products, Moneris
Session 304
Enterprise – Coming to Work with CNIB: From Vendor to Partner
Join the Enterprise Canada team as they discuss the importance of the accessibility journey for medium sized businesses in Canada. Learn about our collaboration with CNIB's Come to Work program and the journey to engaging Canadian talent with sight loss.
Speaker: Jesse Shea, Senior Consultant, Public Affairs and Communications, Enterprise Canada and Zubin Sanyal, Senior Digital Strategist, Enterprise Canada
Session 305
Microsoft – Shaping the Future of Work with AI
The New Future of Work is an initiative dedicated to creating solutions for a future of work that is meaningful, productive, and equitable. It began during the pandemic in response to an urgent need to understand remote work practices. When many people returned to the office, the focus shifted to supporting the hybrid work transition. Work practices are changing once again but this time the driver is technology. As such, the New Future of Work Initiative has entered a new chapter – artificial intelligence.
Speaker: Damian Milczarski, Accessibility Program Manager, Microsoft
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