Join the Law Society on Tuesday, Dec. 3, during the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. for a webinar about what employers and lawyers can do to better accommodate colleagues and clients with disabilities. There is no cost to attend, and you can register here.

The webinar will begin with a presentation by David Lepofsky, a retired lawyer who chairs the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. David will focus his remarks on how systemic strategies in Ontario have advanced accommodations for persons with disabilities. He will discuss recurring barriers that need to be fixed and offer action-oriented solutions.

Following the opening address, there will be a panel discussion, led by moderator and human rights lawyer Roxanne Davis, KC, QArb. She will be joined by two lawyers with disabilities:

• Bob Fenton, KC, Director of Legal Services for the Calgary Police Service and Chair of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Board of Directors; and,
• Taylor Grantham, a litigation lawyer practising in commercial and family litigation.

The panel will discuss the value of creating respectful environments within law firms and organizations to have open and honest conversations about accessibility for lawyers and clients with disabilities.

They will discuss the different realities of persons with disabilities, common barriers faced in the practice of law and how accommodations must take each unique person’s circumstances into account. The panel will tackle the misconception of disability being tied to incompetence and explore the tension that often exists when delegating legal work to lawyers with disabilities. They will also provide tips and strategies for lawyers with disabilities to be set up for a successful legal career.

For more information about the webinar, including the full bios for each speaker, visit the webinar registration page. We will be using Zoom webinar to run this webinar including auto-generated captioning. Within your registration, please indicate any additional accessibility needs you may have, and we will do our best to accommodate. For more information about Zoom’s accessibility features and settings, visit this webpage.