Schedule and Session Details
2026 Starkloff Disability Employment Summit • October 7 – 8, 2026
Times are listed in CDT.
Day 1 Wednesday, Oct. 7
8:00 AM
Registration and Breakfast
Atrium
9:00 AM
Welcome
Pathways Auditorium
Opening Keynote
Creating an Accessible Ecosystem
Claudia L. Gordon, Esq.
Pathways Auditorium
10:30 AM
Break (15 minutes)
10:45 AM
A Block | Breakouts
Rethinking Workforce Design Through the Lens of Neurodiversity
Pathways Auditorium
Advanced
Building Disability Confidence Through Community
Denver (Upstairs)
Foundational
11:45 AM
Lunch
Atrium
12:45 PM
B Block | Breakouts
Supported Employment That Works: Building Sustainable Pathways to Employment Through Partnership
Pathways Auditorium
Advanced
Beyond Compliance: Building Deaf-Inclusive Workplaces That Attract, Support, and Retain Talent
Denver (Upstairs)
Foundational
1:45 PM
Break (15 minutes)
2:00 PM
C Block | Breakouts
The Architecture of Inclusion: Workplace Accessibility and Job Satisfaction
Pathways Auditorium
Advanced
Disability Benefits 101 for Employers
Denver (Upstairs)
Foundational
3:00 PM
Break (15 minutes)
3:15 PM
D Block | Breakouts
Embedding Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Across an Organization: Case Study with Regions
Pathways Auditorium
Advanced
What Employers Should Know: Strategies for Disability Advocacy and Leadership
Denver (Upstairs)
Foundational
4:15 PM
Networking Reception
Reception concludes at 5:30 PM
Light refreshments
Atrium
6:30 PM
Comedy Show and Social
Wrap up SDES Day 1 on a high note and join us for an exclusive evening of laughs
Concludes at 8:00 PM
Funny Bone | Westport
8:00 PM
Day 1 Concludes
Day 2 Thursday, Oct. 8
8:00 AM
Breakfast, Vendor Engagement, and Networking
Atrium
9:30 AM
Day 2 Welcome
Pathways Auditorium
Plenary
Lived Experience Panel Discussion
Pathways Auditorium
10:45 AM
Break (15 minutes)
11:00 AM
E Block | Breakouts
Certified to Use AI. Not Prepared to Use It Fairly. Disability, Workplace Technology, and the Accountability Gap
Pathways Auditorium
Advanced
Accommodations Past, Present, and Future: Transforming Workplace Culture from Compliance to Inclusion
Denver (Upstairs)
Foundational
12:00 PM
Lunch
Atrium
1:00 PM
Plenary
The State of Disability Economic Policy
Pathways Auditorium
2:00 PM
Break (15 minutes)
2:15 PM
Debrief Discussion Groups
Structured discussion to unpack SDES 2026 with peers
[Various locations]
3:00 PM
Closing Keynote
Neurodiversity and Psychological Safety
Stephen J. Nelson, MSOL
Pathways Auditorium
Final Remarks and Wrap Up
Pathways Auditorium
