Renowned Australian biomedical engineer and author Dr Jordan Nguyen will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Disability at Work Conference in Canberra on Wednesday 12 July. CEO and founder of Psykinetic, which designs life-altering technologies for people with disability, Dr Nguyen will speak on the Future of Inclusive Technologies. 

Among the achievements of Dr Nguyen and his team are the creation of a mind-controlled wheelchair and many Virtual and Augmented Reality applications targeted at improving the lives of people with disability. As the author of “A Human’s Guide to the Future” and the presenter of the ABC Catalyst series “Becoming Superhuman”, Dr Nguyen will give a futurist’s perspective on the conference’s theme, “Creating a Vision for Disability Employment.”     

Dr Nguyen heads an impressive lineup of expert speakers and sector leaders examining innovative ways to engage people with disability in employment in an uncertain economy. The DSS leadership team will also be there, including Kellie Spence, Anna Lutz and Katrina Chatham, who are keen to engage with attendees throughout the day.

It being a face-to-face conference, attendees can network with their colleagues from across Australia, including a pre-conference function on Tuesday evening.  

This event is for all employment service providers – open, supported, transition-to-work and social enterprises — as well as professionals and individuals interested in designing and promoting sustainable employment for people with disability. It’s a must-attend for CEOs, senior and middle managers engaged in employment for people with disability. 

Other highlights of this year’s program 

• Government Policy Directions and Reforms for Disability Employment with the Federal Minister for Social Services, The Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP; Katrina Chatham, Branch Manager at the Department of Social Services; Mary Hawkins, Director of the Employment at the Market Innovation and Employment Branch of the NDIA; and others. 
• The Future of Disability Employment with Rick Kane, Senior Advisor at APM. 
• Stimulating Employer Confidence and Demand for Employees with Disability with David Belcher, Facilitator for Let’s Talk Disability and Nunzia Confessore from Prefer People. 
• Defining Social Enterprise in Australia, a panel comprising Andrew Hamilton, Director of Social Scaffolding; Alex Hooke, Executive Director Advocacy and Engagement for Social Traders; and Myron Mann, CEO of Bedford Group.  
• A panel session exploring the Features of a Comprehensive Vision for Disability Employment, chaired by David Swain, CEO of Endeavour Foundation; Kane Blackman, CEO of Good Sammy; Wayne Herbert, Deputy Director of People and Planning for LEAD; and family advocate Amy Clark from Our Voice Australia (OVA). 

Event Details

NDS Disability at Work Conference 2023

Date: Wednesday 12 July 
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm AEST 
Location: QT Canberra, 1 London Circuit, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601 

Networking Function

Date: Tuesday 11 July  
Time: 5:30pm to 7:00pm AEST 
Location: QT Canberra, 1 London Circuit, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 2601 

Discounted accommodation and flight rates are available through our accommodation partner. 
 
Places are limited, register as soon as possible. 

Sponsors

Thank you to our event sponsors.