Each year Canada celebrates National AccessAbility Week beginning from the last Sunday in May. During this time our country highlights the unique qualities of persons with disabilities and the nationwide efforts to improve accessibility and inclusion for all Canadians.
In our mission to celebrate entrepreneurs and business owners with disabilities IWSCC invites business owners, entrepreneurs, corporate supporters, members of government, advocates and allies to celebrate Disabled-Owned businesses and the entrepreneurs that succeed not in spite of, but because of their lived experiences.
The opportunity for investment, for innovation, and for inclusion. Reach is access to higher heights, to greater potential, and to new possibilities.
To reach out is to listen, and to learn. To ask questions. To hear new voices and to gain new insights. Reach is to teach, to share, and to be heard.
To connect with others. To accomplish more together than apart. An equal opportunity to grow thriving businesses and supply chains together.
Date & Time: Wednesday, May 27 from 1 to 3 pm Eastern Time.
Location: The Reach Forum is a virtual presentation hosted on Zoom.
Accessibility at this Event: The 2026 Reach Forum featured live-generated Closed Captions and ASL interpretation for spoken English supplied by Maple Communications, an IWSCC Certified Business.
1:00 – 1:10pm : Welcome and Keynote Remarks.
1:10 – 1:50pm : Community Speakers and Q&A.
1:50 – 2:30pm : Resource Partner presentations.
2:30 – 2:50pm : IWSCC’s Reach Success Awards presentations.
2:50 – 3:00pm : Announcements and Goodbyes from IWSCC.
Alwar Pillai
Alwar Pillai is the co-founder and Executive Chair of Fable, an accessibility platform helping organizations build more inclusive digital products through research and testing with people with disabilities. As former CEO, she helped scale Fable into a globally recognized accessibility technology company, partnering with organizations including Microsoft, Meta, Shopify, and Walmart, while raising over $50M in venture capital to support the company’s growth.
Alwar is a recognized entrepreneur and advocate for inclusive innovation, named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and The Globe and Mail’s Top 50 Changemakers. She regularly speaks on accessibility, entrepreneurship, inclusive design, and the future of AI and technology.
Pamela Shainhouse
Pamela Shainhouse is a certified accessibility, diversity, inclusion, equity (AIDE), and fundraising expert with over thirty-five years of experience in the fashion, apparel, and nonprofit industries. As the President and Founder of Allistyle Inc. and its division, The Shainhouse Group, she specializes in AIDE training, policy development, and public speaking across various fashion and business sectors.
A passionate advocate for responsible fashion (size inclusivity and diversity) in fashion, Pamela is dedicated to honouring the legacy of her late daughter, Alli. With her daughter, Pamela co-founded Allistyle—a sustainable and stylish clothing line designed for curvy women—which debuted at Toronto Fashion Week’s first and only curvy runway show in 2012.
John C. Fisher
John Fisher in his professional life is President & CEO of T. Harris Environmental Management Inc.(THEM) which is a diverse group of engineering, scientific, technical and industrial hygiene professionals providing consulting services to a variety of industrial, commercial, and institutional clients since 1979. John has been with THEM since 1988.
John is a passionate, engaged, motivated and committed team leader. In addition, John has become active with an advocacy group called MitoCanada. This organization is dear to John’s heart. In1982, he was diagnosed with a neurological disorder known as a mitochondrial myopathy. Part of his philanthropic endeavours is to participate in any way possible to help and advocate for others that are affected by this disorder.
Access To Success
More info coming soon!
Community Futures BC
Community Futures is a federal government program delivering business development services in rural and remote Canadian communities.
Their British Colombia offices (CFBC) provide Accessible Entrepreneurship services in both rural and metropolitan BC, as well as online. Their Entrepreneurs with Disabilities program offers assistance for entrepreneurs with a disability or ongoing health issue to help build and develop their business. Services include assistance developing a business plan, training, business coaching, and access to funding opportunities.
The Reach Awards are IWSCC’s way of recognizing the success of Canadian Disabled-Owned Businesses and their allies. Winners are announced at the event and receive a physical trophy supplied and engraved in Canada by Crow Works Engraving & Signs, a fellow IWSCC Certified Supplier.
2025 was IWSCC’s first time celebrating our community in this way, and this year we want to go even bigger by re-introducing the Reach Success Awards and the Reach Success Project!
IWSCC is collecting submissions from our community members who want to share their Canadian Disabled-Owned success stories. While we’ll still announce a winner selected by a committee of peers live at the Forum, we’re also sharing every story we receive through our Blog as a special journal series highlighting the incredible entrepreneurs we support.
The Certified Supplier of the Year Award recognizes an IWSCC Certified Disabled-Owned business that has achieved success for themselves, shared that success with their community, and contributed to the positive perception of Disabled-Owned businesses in Canada.
The Corporate Member of the Year Award recognizes an organization in our community that has gone beyond expectations by building relationships, creating opportunities, and inspiring their peers to work with Canadian Disabled-Owned businesses.
The Community Impact Award recognizes an individual or organization that has provided support, resources, or funding to help entrepreneurs with disabilities reach success.
Learn More about the 2025 Reach Forum
Community Speaker:
Michelle AuCoin
LearnAbility Educational Solutions
Resource Partner:
Community Futures BC
Resource Partner:
Ready Willing & Able
2025 Certified Supplier of the Year:
LearnAbility Educational Solutions
2025 Corporate Member of the Year:
The City of Toronto
2025 Community Impact Award Winner:
Jonathan Marriott