Alberta Employment First Network

09/26/2025

Joining us at the 2025 Alberta Disability Employment Awareness Month Kick - Off are Laura Lee Ross and Heather Fincati! ⤵️

Laura Lee is a passionate advocate for creating healthier and more inclusive spaces, emphasizing how good design can drive positive changes in business and society. She is also the founder and CEO of Ross and Associates, a Workplace Specialist, and A&D Market Manager at Teknion.

Heather Fincati is a dedicated advocate for inclusive employment and a proud champion mentee through MentorAbility. Heather actively volunteers with local organizations, including Careers in Technology and Innovation to help build community and mentor newcomers to Calgary.

Register now to learn more about DEAM and MentorAbility Alberta 's mentorship services. ⬇️

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1568355897709?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/25/2025

Disability Employment Awareness Month begins next week on Wednesday! 🎉

Join us alongside Gateway Association Alberta and MentorAbility Alberta to kick off the month. ❤️

We are inviting 2 speakers who have utilized MentorAbility's services, and will be reviewing all the DEAM events happening throughout the month in the province of Alberta.

Come learn more about why DEAM is important and who it's for through this one hour online webinar. ⤵️

Register now! https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/disability-employment-awareness-month-kick-off-tickets-1568355897709?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/24/2025

Join us as we kick off another Disability Employment Awareness Month  with our annual proclamation and employer recognition event!
RSVP by September 29

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09/23/2025

Today is the LAST DAY to secure your DEAM IDEA Conference tickets!

Choose to attend during the October 2nd networking event, or the October 3rd all day conference. OR choose both days at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre.

Register now ⤵️

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1341496284499?aff=oddtdtcreator

Who will be speaking at the conference this year? 💡

Dr. Kathleen Sitter from the University of Calgary

Sean Crump and Susy Ko from ATB Financial

Rosanna Mascarenhas will be leading our afternoon workshop alongside Better Belonging

Our exhibitors on October 2nd are :

Alberta Chambers of Commerce

ATB Financial

AAISA Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies

Gateway Association Alberta

MentorAbility Alberta

Centre for Newcomers

Goodwill Industries of Alberta

Vecova

Community Futures Treaty7

Lifemark Health Group

MCG Careers

CBI Health

AWES

Canadian Partners in Workforce Innovation

Deaf & Hear Alberta

Government of Alberta

Better Belonging

And we are joined by Bowness Soap Works as our vendor! https://bownesssoapworks.com/

We can't wait to see you all there! Register now : https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1341496284499?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/23/2025

09/23/2025

We're excited to announce that Able & Available will be attending the 2025 DEAM IDEA Conference, organized by our partners at the Alberta Employment First Network (AEFN)!

🗓️ October 2–3, 2025
📍 Telus Convention Centre, Calgary
🎟️ Register now: https://aefn.ca/deam/deam-idea-conference-2025/

This year's theme, "Authenticity in Action," emphasizes the importance of genuine commitment to inclusive employment practices.

Whether you're an employer, HR professional, or community advocate, this conference offers valuable insights and actionable steps to foster inclusive workplaces. Join us in celebrating and advancing disability employment awareness!

09/20/2025

The countdown continues... 4 days to get your DEAM IDEA Conference tickets!

Want a sneak peak as to what we'll be discussing on October 3rd at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre? Keep reading ⬇️

💡 learn about the 3 main actions you can take for accessibility in your workplace from our keynote speaker

💡 learn how a great employee experience can start long before the first day

💡 learn how an inclusive employment strategy can turn into action

💡 learn what people with disabilities are actually advocating for
.. and put this all into practice during the conference workshop!

This DEAM IDEA Conference is one for the books - we can't wait to see you there. 🥰

Register now - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1341496284499?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/18/2025

Are you an artist with a disability who would like to share your experience with employment through your art? In support of Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) in October, AACT will be hosting an Employment Arts Fair sponsored by Alberta Employment First Network!

The fair will be held at the Gateway Association office in Edmonton, located at 10941 120 St NW, Suite 201, Edmonton, AB T5H 3R3, on the evening of October 15th, 2025. Specific time ime to be announced soon!

If you are an artist with a disability who is interested in participating or learning more, please get in touch with us at alberta.act@gmail.com

09/18/2025

09/18/2025

We want to thank the Calgary Chamber of Commerce for hosting our “Leading the way with DEAM” workshop on September 16th 😍

The workshop was well received and we were able to share information on the history of DEAM, how to be involved in DEAM, and the importance of employers involvement in the initiative.

What can you do this October for DEAM? ⬇️

✨attend a DEAM event
✨question your biases
✨amplify the voices of people with disabilities
✨bring up DEAM to your team
✨learn about NDEAM from the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN)

All DEAM events can be found here : https://aefn.ca/all-events/

09/12/2025

The last day to purchase DEAM IDEA Conference tickets is approaching...

September 23rd is your last day to purchase tickets to the 4th annual disability employment awareness month conference and networking event. Happening in Calgary this year at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre ! Bean Gill will be leading the events this year, we are so excited to have her 🥰

What's in it for you?

✨ connect with 28 exhibitors

✨ connect with businesses who believe in inclusive employment

✨ learn from Dr. Kathleen Sitter from the University of Calgary

✨ hear real employer stories from ATB Financial

✨ workshop the employment journey of a person with a disability with Rosanna Mascarenhas

✨ jot down resources (like Better Belonging) to use post conference in your conference handbook

Register now! https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1341496284499?aff=oddtdtcreator



Gateway Association

09/11/2025

For the second year in a row, AEFN joins Global News in Edmonton and Calgary to speak on the importance of DEAM and why you should attend the DEAM IDEA Conference. 🔊

Check out Sahana Parameswara and Michael Wing in Edmonton below from September 9th ⬇️

https://globalnews.ca/video/11404638/marking-disability-employment-awareness-month/



And check out Angela Flaman and Chantelle Robinson in Calgary from September 10th ⬇️

https://globalnews.ca/video/11406741/sharing-stories-of-inclusive-career-development-and-workplaces-for-disability-employment-awareness-month-deam/

We love the dedication that our team at Gateway Association Alberta and our AEFN planning committee members have in speaking on the importance of DEAM in Alberta. This initiative has been alive for over a decade and we continue to see our work feed into the advancement of inclusive employment for people with disabilities.

To check out upcoming DEAM events, please visit the AEFN calendar for events around Alberta. The calendar will continue to be updated as October gets closer ➡️ https://aefn.ca/all-events/

Explore our event calendar and join us for upcoming events promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in Alberta. Stay informed and be part of our network!