2027 DEAM IDEA Conference

The Alberta Employment First Network (AEFN) will expand Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) 2027 across Northern Alberta, creating opportunities for employers, people with disabilities, employment service providers and communities to connect, learn and take practical action toward disability-inclusive employment.

Northern Alberta includes urban centres as well as rural, remote and smaller communities where employers and job seekers may have fewer opportunities to connect with specialized disability employment resources. AEFN will use its regional relationships to bring disability employment conversations directly into Northern Alberta communities while connecting local activity to the larger DEAM movement.

A key component will be engaging Northern Alberta employers in the sixth annual DEAM IDEA Conference. Our broader conference goal is at least 100 employers, with targeted outreach to ensure Northern Alberta businesses and organizations are represented. AEFN will work through chambers of commerce, industry associations, employment service providers and community networks to identify and engage employers.

The conference will feature keynote speakers who can amplify the value of disability-inclusive employment, employer-focused breakout sessions, lived-experience perspectives, and practical training on inclusive recruitment, accommodation, accessibility and retention with a northern and rural focus.

The project will also support locally driven DEAM activities throughout Northern Alberta, creating opportunities for communities to develop conversations and activities responsive to their own employment realities. AEFN's provincial mandate already recognizes the importance of regional approaches, including adapting activities to regional needs and strengthening rural, remote and Indigenous outreach. This targeted reach out is not intended to end after October. AEFN will continue relationships with participating employers, connect them to local employment service providers, resources and disability talent, and identify opportunities for continued collaboration.

The primary beneficiaries are people with disabilities living in Northern Alberta, including those in rural, remote and smaller communities where access to specialized employment resources, employer networks and inclusive employment opportunities may be more limited.

The project is pan-disability and is intended to benefit people across disability types, backgrounds, industries and stages of employment. By strengthening employer knowledge and confidence, the project can create better pathways to recruitment, hiring, accommodation, retention and career advancement.

Northern Alberta employers are another key beneficiary. Many employers want to build inclusive workplaces but may not know where to begin, what supports exist or who to contact. Through DEAM activities, employer outreach, keynote presentations, breakout sessions and practical training, employers will gain information and connections they can take back to their workplaces.

Employment service providers and community organizations will benefit from stronger relationships with employers and one another. AEFN does not replace existing frontline services; instead, it strengthens the network around them by creating connections, improving coordination and increasing employer engagement. This aligns with AEFN's mandate to build regional partnerships and strengthen the broader employment ecosystem rather than duplicate direct services.

Rural, remote and Northern communities will benefit from opportunities to develop locally relevant DEAM activities rather than relying exclusively on programming delivered from Alberta's major urban centres.

Ultimately, the project benefits the Northern Alberta workforce by bringing employers, people with disabilities, service providers, chambers and community organizations into the same conversation—and turning those relationships into stronger pathways to employment.