VANCOUVER: NEUROinclusion Untapped

Date

February 5, 2026

Time

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Welcome & Opening Session with Mr. Josh Vander Vies, moderated by Ian Humphreys

1:00 PM - 2:00PM - Session 1

Workshop #1 - The 6 Principles for Inclusion
Workshop #2 - Inclusive Hiring in Action: Simple Shifts, Big Impact

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM - Networking

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM - Session 2

Workshop #1 - The 6 Principles for Inclusion
Workshop #2 - Inclusive Hiring in Action: Simple Shifts, Big Impact

3:15 PM - Event End & Networking

Attendees are welcome to attend both workshop sessions. Because Session 2 repeats the workshops from Session 1, you can choose to attend the workshops in the order that you prefer.

Refreshments and light snacks will be provided.

Location

The Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront

1133 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3T3

Join us at The Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront for NEUROinclusion Untapped | Workplace Solutions! Learn more about the benefits of workplace inclusion, and engage in meaningful conversations with like-minded professionals. Enjoy delicious food, and join insightful discussions on diversity. Let's raise a glass to diversity, inclusion, and the pursuit of a more equitable future. See you there!

The 6 Principles for Inclusion

Developed by The Sinneave Family Foundation, The 6 Principles for Inclusion is a practical framework designed to support neuroinclusion in the workplace. These principles will help you build confidence in identifying and reducing barriers for neurodivergent individuals in the workplace. In this session, we’ll explore each of the Six Principles - Communication, Connection, Emotion, Flexibility, Structure, and Environment - and discuss practical strategies you can apply with each one to create a more neuroinclusive workplace. Participants will leave with tools, language, and actionable strategies to better support not only neurodivergent colleagues, but everyone you work with.

Inclusive Hiring in Action: Simple Shifts, Big Impact

What does it really take to hire inclusively? It’s not just policy—it’s practice. We’ll provide practical solutions for building workplaces where people with disabilities are welcomed, supported, and empowered to contribute their best, giving your organization a strategic advantage.

In this interactive one-hour workshop, hosted by NEUROinclusive Workforce Solutions and delivered by MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners, we’ll dive into one of highest-impact Pillars of Accessible and Inclusive Employment: Recruitment. Through real examples and simple, actionable steps, you’ll discover how to remove barriers, make simple shifts to your hiring practices, and achieve big impact by strengthening inclusion at work —no matter the size of your business.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Apply practical steps to prepare your business to “do things differently” with confidence.
Adapt recruitment practices in easy, effective ways to attract and retain diverse talent.
Learn from other employers who have successfully implemented inclusive hiring approaches—and hear about business benefits firsthand.
Understand how to meet provincial and federal accessibility requirements without added complexity.

Let’s turn accessibility from intention into impact- together.

Josh Vander Vies

Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

Vancouver Airport Authority

Josh Vander Vies is a disabled leader and lawyer dedicated to helping break down barriers to inclusion. Across disability, sport, the arts, philanthropy, and now at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Josh brings strategic insight and lived experience to every space he enters. Born missing most of his arms and legs, a retired Paralympic boccia athlete, he champions human rights, disability inclusion, and innovation - in the workplace, community, and in accessible air travel. Josh’s work is rooted in empathy and resilience to transform systems and unlock potential.

Jamie Millar-Dixon

MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners

Principal Consultant

With over 35 years of Human Resources experience including working with medium to large Tourism and Hospitality employers, Jamie has taken an active leadership role in Canada’s DEI community and is recognized for leading inclusive hiring initiatives with organizations, focusing on helping employers to increase workforce inclusion of people with disabilities. As Principal Consultant with MacLeod Silver HR Business Partners, Jamie continually supports diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion projects. She is the current Lead Consultant for Tourism HR Canada’s Workplace Accessibility Clinic. Jamie previously led the development, launched, and took the operational lead of BC Partners in Workforce Innovation (BC WiN), an initiative that expanded to CAN WiN from BC to ON in 2023 and she created the Four Pillars of Accessible and Inclusive Employment model. She also took the lead in a project that made accessible employment recommendations to Accessibility Standards Canada to support the Accessible Canada Act and the Four Pillars was widely used to support these standards.

Ian Humphreys

Employment Services Director

Sinneave Family Foundation

Ian Humphreys serves as the Director of Employment Services at the Sinneave Family Foundation, drawing on his unique perspective as a neurodivergent self-advocate to offer a distinctive approach to his role. His responsibilities encompass program delivery oversight of the national EmploymentWorks program, as well as leading NEUROinclusive Workforce Solutions, a free service designed to provide customized solutions that improve businesses' neuroinclusion confidence. Beyond his professional commitments, Ian is also an active member of the City of Calgary Accessibility Advisory Committee.