Presented in concert with Manitoba Access Awareness Week
June 2 – 8, 2013
Ability Axis presents....
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Thank you to all who attended the Making a Difference event on May 31, 2013. Enjoy these few photos that were taken at the event.
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Presented by: Richard Pimentel
“In every field of endeavour and every profession, for those who want to excel, there are select individuals who are a 'must see and hear'. In the arena of employment & disability,
Richard Pimentel is at the top of that list.”
Watch this video interview with Richard Pimentel, speaking about the Making a Difference event on May 31, 2013. Richard give insights into what kinds of things we can expect on that day...
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
There are an estimated 20,000 Manitobans with disabilities who are not in the labour force but who, with adequate supports, would be able to work. We can’t afford to continue to exclude their talents & productivity from our workforce and we can’t continue to impede their efforts to secure better lives for themselves and their families.
There are hundreds of companies in Manitoba - few of which can boast about the number of people with disabilities who are successfully engaged in their workplaces. There are hundreds of organizations that assist Manitobans with disabilities to prepare for and to enter the workforce – most of which have difficulty finding enough opportunities for their clients to get their feet in the door and to “show their stuff” in the workforce.
This one-day seminar is focused on changing that. The event is going to be educational, entertaining, energizing and unforgettable. It will be about new ways of thinking, new ways of doing and, above all, new resolve to make a difference.
MORNING:
Demystifying Diversity and Disability: What we don’t know, what we think we know, and what we want to know.
In this engaging three-hour presentation, Richard Pimentel will guide us through a humorous yet profound journey into our understanding of disability. He will disclose the misconceptions, preconceptions and misinformation that cloud our judgement and make us wary of hiring people with disabilities. In their place, he will surprise us with new paradigms and perspectives – and help us emerge with new confidence in the value that people with disabilities can bring to our workplaces.
Combining profound insights with poignant anecdotes, Richard will inspire us with greater confidence in our own abilities to make our workplaces richer, more welcoming of difference, and better poised to engage the talents of everyone.
AFTERNOON:
Working with Employers: Bridging to the Workforce
“Job Developers are the bridge between people with disabilities who are able want to work and employers who don’t believe they can.” Richard Pimentel coined that phrase early in his career… and it isn’t just job developers. There are a myriad of people who are employed to help people with disabilities to get an education, pick a career path, find effective accommodation tools, prepare for the job search, learn how to retain their jobs, and to advance in their careers. All of those folks are part of the greater bridge that is intended to lead to employment and career success for people with disabilities – and this seminar is for them.
In this lively seminar, Richard will inform, encourage, and uplift attendees. Drawing on his many years of working with employers throughout the U.S. and Canada, he will share experiences and insights that are sure to help participants to better appreciate the perspectives of employers in their communities and decide how to work most effectively with them.
SCHEDULE
| 8:00 AM | Registration for Morning Seminar (Coffee Provided) |
| 8:30 AM | Morning Seminar Begins |
| 10:00 AM | Refreshment Break |
| 10:15 AM | Morning Seminar Continues |
| 11:45 AM | Morning Seminar Concludes |
| 12:30 PM | Registration: Afternoon Seminar |
| 1:00 PM | Afternoon Seminar Begins |
| 2:30 PM | Refreshment Break |
| 2:45 PM | Afternoon Seminar Continues |
| 4:15 PM | Afternoon Seminar Concludes |
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This day with Richard has been divided into two seminars - each with its own primary audience. Join us for either or both!
Morning Session: Demystifying Diversity and Disability will primarily be focused on the interests of business leaders, human resource personnel, diversity managers, and recruitment professionals.
Afternoon Session: Working with Employers will primarily be focused on the interests of “employment and training personnel” – including job developers, career counsellors, social workers, educators, and others.
The Full Day: By identifying “primary” audiences, we don’t want to imply that individual registrants shouldn’t all attend the full day. We sincerely believe that that there will be great value, for both audience groups, to attend both seminars. In addition to the obvious value of networking opportunities, by attending the afternoon session, employers stand to gain additional useful knowledge about issues facing people with disabilities and the workings of the agencies that support them. By attending the morning session, employment & training personnel stand to acquire important insights into the world of workforce diversity and the disability-related concerns of employers.
Lastly, Richard Pimentel is, simply put, a phenomenon. People who saw him last present in Winnipeg, in the mid 1990s, still talk about that experience with exuberance. We know that any folks who attend just the morning session will likely kick themselves for being tied into pre-scheduled afternoon appointments… and folks who show up only for the afternoon will forever regret that they missed the morning session. Everyone will tell their co-workers that they “should have been there”.
We hope you can join us for the whole day!
MUSIC WITHIN
Learn more about Richard by watching this trailer for Music Within, the full-length motion picture based on his life. (The first 50 people to register for the full day of Making a Difference will receive a free copy of the Music Within DVD.)
PRAISE FOR RICHARD
"There are times in a career when you experience a life-changing event, which causes you to examine what you have been doing and where you want to go in the future. If you are lucky this event will guide you to a new path and energize your thought processes. Richard Pimentel created such an event for 50 of my management staff members with his presentations on diversity, cultural sensitivity, and accommodation of the disabled. Richard has a talent for reaching all levels of management with humorous, poignant, and relevant story telling.”
Ken Ellison - Director Human Resources - Sunbeam Corp.
"I attended one of the most professional and informative seminars in 25 years of seminar participation. Rich’s presentations should be attended by every responsible human resource professional. My behavior and attitude toward people with differences have been irrevocably changed. Particularly notable was the insight I gained about the effects of attitudes toward entire groups of people; how our deeply held beliefs can create inclusive or exclusive workforces.”
K.L. Zilm - V.P. Human Resources - Kinark Corporation
"This was the best presenter that I have ever heard. Richard Pimentel was extremely motivational, interesting with useful and practical suggestions. What a refreshing person - honest, sincere, to the point, down to earth. Although he was entertaining he hit all the nails on the head. I never laughed so hard and learned so much at the same time!”
Conference Attendee - Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS
We have received approval of six Continuing Education Credits from the Vocational Rehabilitation Association of Canada for VRA Members attending the full-day event.
REGISTRATION
NOTE: The first 50 people to register for the full day of Making a Difference will receive a free copy of the Music Within DVD.
| Registration type | per person |
|---|---|
| Making a Difference – Full Day Early bird (by May 17, 2013) Regular (after May 17, 2013) |
$130 $155 |
| Demystifying Diversity & Disability – Morning Seminar Early Bird (by May 17, 2013) Regular (after May 17, 2013) |
$75 $90 |
| Working with Employers – Afternoon Seminar Early Bird (by May 17, 2013) Regular (after May 17, 2013) |
$75 $90 |
Registration is now closed.
Substitutions are acceptable at any time but please advise us prior to the event. Cancellations must be received in writing no later than May 24, 2013. After that time, the full registration fee will apply and only replacement participant(s) will be accepted.
REFRESHMENTS/DINING
Coffee and tea will be also available during morning registration, mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks. Attendees are welcome to choose from a wide variety of nearby restaurants in and around the venue during the lunch break.
LOCATION
Victoria Inn – Embassy A, B, C, D
1808 Wellington Avenue
Winnipeg, MB, Canada 
There is plenty of free outdoor parking is available just outside the hotel.
ACCOMMODATIONS/SPECIAL NEEDS
Attendees with any special needs are urged to contact us as soon as possible to give us time to respond to requests. The Victoria Inn smoke-free and wheelchair accessible.
Contact INFORMATION
For further information, please contact Deb Clark by phone, 204-487-0307 or by email deb@diversityworld.com.
Richard Pimentel is an internationally-renowned consultant, keynote speaker, and professional trainer. He has the well-earned the reputation for being North America's premier speaker on disability and employment issues. Working with major companies on Workforce Diversity, Disability Inclusion, and Disability Management, and Attitude Change, his work is credited for producing enduring changes in corporate culture. Similarly, with his roots as a job developer, Richard is in high demand by the employment and training field for his insightful presentations on job development and working effectively with employers. Among other accomplishments, Richard was the primary author of the Windmills interactive disability attitude change program for managers and supervisors – adopted widely by many Fortune 500 companies, and still used actively throughout Canada and the U.S. A pioneer in return-to-work and disability management programs, Richard is in demand as a speaker and consultant by corporations, government bodies and insurance companies. With the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Richard was selected by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) to train its members throughout the US on implications of the new legislation. In 2007, Richard's life story was portrayed in Warner Brothers' full-length motion picture, Music Within.