Inclusive Design Research Centre

Register now for the 2026 Annual Episodic Disabilities and Employment Summit, hosted by Realize!

Taking place on March 18–19, 2026, 12:00–4:00 PM ET, this year’s free Zoom event will focus on the future of work, addressing topics like the impact of return-to-office mandates for people living with episodic disabilities and the impact of AI on work and disability accommodations.

The program features keynote speakers—former Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion (and former Paralympic swimmer) Carla Qualtrough and Tina Sarkar-Thompson, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources at the Royal Ontario Museum—alongside leading employment and research experts and panels with employers and people with lived experience. IDRC staff will be guest speaking as well.

View the Episodic Disabilities and Employment Summit schedule and register for the event: https://buff.ly/v7PzBsw

IDRC Director Jutta Treviranus has contributed an article to The Conversation about how engaging people who face the greatest barriers to co-design our systems will provide everyone with adaptive choices during the next inevitable crisis. Read the article: https://buff.ly/iNKVx4v

How building with people who face barriers benefits everyone, especially during crises Systems designed with those who face the greatest barriers are more resilient, adaptive and stable. And in the end, they benefit everyone when the unpredictable happens.

A new accessibility tool developed by an OCAD University Digital Futures alum and his partner is helping make online video more inclusive for people who are blind or who have low vision. Read more: https://buff.ly/rkoRfbj

New AI tool by OCAD U alum makes videos accessible to people with low vision | OCAD University ViddyScribe, created by Digital Futures alum Aaditya Vaze, makes videos accessible to people who are blind or who have low vision.