Key figures in national disability inclusion and workplace mental health will take the stage during National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Relay Resources, a social enterprise nonprofit based in the Pacific Northwest that serves as a frontrunner in advancing disability inclusion at work, has unveiled the featured presenters for the second-annual DisabilityNext™ Summit. The event is scheduled for October 6–7, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Portland.
The conference falls during National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and expands on the success of the first DisabilityNext™ Summit in 2025, which brought hundreds of attendees to Portland State University last April for a day of actionable discussions about workplace disability inclusion. This year’s gathering stretches over two days, with every session carefully crafted to provide actionable insights that employers, HR specialists, and advocates can implement as soon as they depart.
“DisabilityNext™ was created because individuals with disabilities continue to encounter twice the unemployment rate and half the opportunities,” stated Dr. Jennifer Camota Luebke, president and CEO of Relay Resources. “This summit is designed for employers and leaders who want to shift from talk to tangible steps. Our 2026 speaker roster showcases the full spectrum of what disability inclusion looks like in real-world settings—encompassing workforce mental health, neurodivergent-first technology, and the business rationale for accessible hiring.”
Salesforce, serving as the Diamond Sponsor for this year’s Summit, commented: “At Salesforce, we recognize that inclusion fuels innovation—and the Relay Resources DisabilityNext Summit is where that principle turns into practice. Companies can no longer afford to ignore the talent, perspectives, and purchasing power of the one billion people globally living with disabilities. The moment to build accessible, disability-inclusive workforces is now.” Additionally, Amy Wood, Accessibility Manager at Salesforce, will represent the company as a speaker at the event.
Featured Speakers
The 2026 DisabilityNext™ Summit will showcase over 15 speakers at the forefront of disability inclusion thought leadership. Among those announced:
Marisa Hamamoto, the summit’s opening keynote speaker, is a dancer, activist, and founder of Infinite Flow, a professional dance company that includes both disabled and non-disabled performers. Hamamoto has earned international recognition for her efforts bridging disability representation and the performing arts.
Zach Anner is a comedian, author, television writer, and disability advocate who brings humor and personal experience to conversations about disability representation, accessibility, and belonging. Born with cerebral palsy, Anner first achieved national attention with his travel series Rollin’ With Zach. Since then, he has written for acclaimed television series such as Speechless and Best Foot Forward, authored the memoir If At Birth You Don’t Succeed, and built an audience of millions through his comedic storytelling, helping transform public views of disability through entertainment, media, and advocacy.
Grant Harris, MBA, CDE® is the founder and president of GTH Consulting, a minority- and disability-owned management consulting firm, and also runs Compliance to Community. He is a Certified Diversity Executive, a three-time published autistic author, and a globally recognized keynote speaker who assists HR leaders, executives, and educators in rethinking how they identify and support talent, drawing on his own late-life autism diagnosis. His work centers on neurodiversity and inclusion, spanning federal agencies, K-12 and higher education, and corporations, built around frameworks like his “Human-Centered Performance” approach and the SCAN leadership model.
Dr. Victoria Verlezza, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized disability inclusion strategist, researcher, and workplace culture expert whose work focuses on neurodiversity, psychological safety, and equitable organizational design. Drawing on both academic research and personal experience, Verlezza created the Cognitive Equity Leadership Model™ and advises organizations on developing disability-inclusive workplaces through leadership development, policy design, and systems change.
Dr. Joe Grasso, Ph.D., Vice President of Workforce Transformation at Lyra Health, brings clinical and organizational expertise on the intersection of mental health, disability, and inclusive workplace design. A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Grasso leads Lyra’s development of educational content on psychological wellness and consults with employers on programs, policies, and communication strategies to support workforce mental health on a large scale.
Jhillika Kumar, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact awardee and founder and CEO of Mentra, a neurodivergent-first talent platform that pairs neurodiverse individuals with employers using AI-powered assessments. A TEDx speaker and self-identified neurodivergent, Kumar founded Mentra after her personal experience as the sister of a nonspeaking autistic person and was recognized by the Biden administration as the most innovative solution to address the disability employment gap.
Dr. Hung Jen Kuo and Sarah George lead the GREAT Lab at Michigan State University, a nationally recognized accessibility and inclusion research initiative that uses technology to remove barriers for disabled people in workplace settings.
Lacey J. Henderson is the mental performance coach with the Portland Timbers. She is a Paralympian, broadcast host with NBC, a record holder, and a former Division 1 athlete. She applies both lived experience and accessible evidence-based practices to enhance performance at all intersections of life.
Full speaker announcements will be released through Relay Resources’ email and social media channels in July.
About DisabilityNext™ Summit
The DisabilityNext™ Summit is a multi-day conference produced by Relay Resources, dedicated to accelerating disability inclusion in the American workplace. Programming includes keynote addresses, DisabilityNext™ Talks, panel discussions, fireside chats, and structured networking for leaders across the corporate, government, nonprofit, and higher education sectors. Topics will cover neuro-inclusion, accessible technology, workforce mental health, and scalable workplace accessibility strategies.
In alignment with Relay Resources’ mission, the summit will provide a full range of accessibility features, including ASL interpretation, live screen captioning, assistive listening devices, sensory break rooms, reserved wheelchair seating, sighted guides, service animal relief stations, sensory bags, and accessibility-trained support staff throughout the venue.
Event Details
What: DisabilityNext™ Summit 2026
When: October 6–7, 2026
Where: Hyatt Regency Portland, Portland, Oregon
Registration: summit.relayresources.org
About Relay Resources
Founded in 1951, Relay Resources is the Pacific Northwest’s leading employer of disabled people and a leading disability social enterprise nonprofit. Relay employs nearly 1,000 team members across four lines of business—building solutions, document solutions, supply chain solutions, and disability inclusion and accessibility consulting—with approximately 62 percent of employees identifying as disabled. Relay also provides pathways to employment in the community through its Competitive Integrated Employment and abil-IT Cybersecurity Training programs. For more information, visit
relayresources.org
Kate Nance
EARLY PR
+1 832-273-5249
kate@earlypr.com
