Biographies

Born with a degenerative deafblind condition, Matthew is recognized as an expert in accessibility legislation, policy and practice across sectors and industries, with a passion for accessible places and spaces. As Head, Accessibility Practice for the Rick Hansen Foundation, Matthew helps governments, organizations and leaders apply accessibility insights to remove barriers and create economic and social value. He is an advisor to federal and provincial governments and sits on several boards and committees, including serving as Vice Chair of Accessibility Standards Canada, Chair of the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council, and Vice Chair of Canadian Blind Hockey. 

In May 2022, Stephanie Cadieux was appointed to a four-year term as Canada’s first Chief Accessibility Officer (CAO).  Before her appointment, she was a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for 13 years, from 2009 to 2022.

She is a member of the disability community and has used a wheelchair since the age of 18. Her lived experience gives her a deep understanding of the unnecessary barriers faced by people with disabilities and the cost of these barriers to our collective wellbeing.  

Throughout her career, she has been a tireless advocate for increased accessibility. She is a firm believer that as a society, we can no longer afford to accommodate inaccessibility and must challenge outdated mindsets and unconscious bias at every opportunity.

Carrie Lin is an associate technical fellow in the human factors engineering department of Boeing Commercial Airplane department, leading the airplane cabin accessibility research. Carrie is also a board-certified physiatrist in Taiwan. She practiced medicine in physical medicine and rehabilitation before joining Boeing. She has been passionate about bridging engineering to human sciences for designing a safe product for users’ satisfaction. Her recent focus has been applying human-centered design principles in airplane design, including developing a replicable and scalable methodology to systemically translate user needs and regulatory performance requirements to verifiable product design requirements. She serves as the president of the Puget Sound Chapter of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Chris is a campaigner and lobbyist in aviation and disability, he is also an Aviation Accessibility Consultant. Additionally, he is an intrinsic part of #RightsOnFlights campaign.

Chris has also set his sights on bringing wheelchair air travel in line with land and sea. His goal is to establish the solution “to enable a wheelchair user to stay in their chair whilst on a flight” – he is now one third of the Air4Alll consortium that is collaborating with Delta Flight Products and Sunrise Medical to bring a prototype to market designed around airlines not losing any pax places..

His two children now in their twenties are keen to travel, he does not want the fact that they are both in wheelchairs to hinder their aspirations in both work and of course pleasure. A common yearning to everyone who uses a wheelchair.

Chris received an investiture in 2021 in Her Majesty the Queens Birthday Honour’s list with an MBE, this was for his work in Accessible Aviation.

Kathy Saliba is the Passenger Care Manager at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), the operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest airport. Driven by a mission to become the most accessible airport in the world, she spearheads various programs and activities, from orchestrating a familiarization tour for families with autism to receiving the prestigious Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) Gold for Terminals 1 and 3.

With 20 years of experience in Public Relations, sitting on a board for autism support, and volunteering at Mount Sinai Hospital, Kathy brings a unique blend of creative storytelling, strong collaboration, and empathy to her role. In collaboration with key advocacy groups and through constant feedback from passengers, Kathy has helped create a travel environment where accessibility is deeply embedded into the airport’s operations. Her work is fueled by a passion for continuous improvement, ensuring that Toronto Pearson remains a global leader in providing a seamless and joyous travel experience for all.

After starting her career as a commercial litigator, Kerianne followed her passion and family tradition of aviation and completed an LL.M. at the McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law. She joined Air Canada as Counsel and then Senior Counsel, with an increasing focus on accessible air travel.

In 2023, she left the Legal Department to become Air Canada’s first Director of Customer Accessibility. Along with her team and the support of the whole company, her mandate is to make air travel more accessible for customers with disabilities, from A to Z.

He studied architecture and finished a Masters’ Degree in Industrial Design in Mexico City. He obtained a grant from the Government of Mexico to study his Ph.D. in Design at the Faculté de l’aménagement, of the University of Montreal. He did his first post doc in “Environmental Gerontology” at the Research Centre from the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal and a second post-doc at the Research Centre for Innovation in Health Care at Utrecht, the Netherlands on “Healing Environments”. He is Full Professor at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine at the Universté Laval and he is a Researcher at the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale in Quebec City. He is also a member of the Quebec government’s Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Safety of Buildings for Persons with Disabilities. His research interests fall into the following areas: Inclusive design and adaptation of the physical environment. Design solutions to improve the quality of life of people with permanent or temporary disabilities (either cognitive, motor or sensory) in terms of objects, home spaces or urban design. Working and care environments in health institutions (acute and long-term care) and accessibility in emergency situations.

Asha Buliung is a Provincial Ambassador for Easter Seals Ontario and a strong advocate for young people with disabilities. Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, she uses her platform to challenge perceptions of disability and highlight the strengths, intelligence, and leadership of youth with lived experience.

Ron Buliung is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Geography and more recently the Interim Vice Dean of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs at the University of Toronto Mississauga. His research focuses on how disability and ableism are produced by and embedded within governing institutions and the places where we live, work, play, and learn.

Sonia Gangopadhyay is the Director of the Centre of Expertise for Accessible Transportation at the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), a role she has held for the past six years. She brings over 20 years of experience in various positions and departments across the federal government. Prior to joining the CTA, she worked with the Labour Program and Transport Canada, where she served as a Manager and Senior Policy Advisor for more than a decade. Before her public service career, Ms. Gangopadhyay spent several years working in the community-based nonprofit sector, focused on social and economic development. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychoeducation. 

Maayan Ziv is an accomplished entrepreneur, acclaimed photographer, and passionate disability activist. She is the founder and CEO of AccessNow, an award-winning tech company that has revolutionized how people share and access information about accessibility on a global scale. Under her leadership, AccessNow has become a driving force for change, influencing industries ranging from technology and infrastructure to public policy and media by highlighting the importance of accessibility. As chair of the Accessible Travel Journey Technical Committee for Accessibility Standards Canada, Maayan plays a key role in shaping national accessibility standards on transit and travel.

In recognition of her contributions, Maayan was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross (MSC) by the Governor General of Canada. Globally recognized as a thought leader and advocate for disability rights, Maayan has earned numerous accolades, including being named one of MIT Tech Review’s Top 35 Innovators and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40

Stacey Burnett is the Regional Manager of Motion Toronto where she oversees sales, service, and operations of Motion’s largest location.  Stacey began her career in the home health care industry over 20 years ago holding positions in Administration, Sales, and Sales Management.   

As a dedicated people leader her focus is on cultural transformation, team engagement and individual development.  In 2023 she was a recipient of Motion’s National Leadership Excellence Award.  She has been an active member in Motion’s Women in Leadership group participating in mentorship programs, events, and book clubs.   

Passionate about education, Stacey and her Team have been proud to support the Occupational Therapy students at the University of Toronto with bi-annual education sessions for three consecutive years as well as student placements.   Invested in her personal development, Stacey completed the Advantage Ontario Administrator Leadership Program as well as maintaining her NRRTS certification as a Registered Rehab Technology Supplier. 

Committed to Motion’s clients and community she has participated in several events supporting Access Now, Unity Health, and SCIO as well as various fundraisers such as those in support of Bloorview Capes for Kids. 

Linda is an Occupational Therapist who is passionate about the prevention and management of pressure injuries. It is her diverse experience in various settings including hospital, community, and industry; and experience in various roles including clinician, educator, manager, and researcher that give Linda a unique perspective. 

 
She has completed the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course through the University of Toronto, a Master’s in Community Health focusing on pressure injury prevention and a PhD in Occupational Science focusing on chronic wounds. Her research focused on how health care providers identify and address lifestyle factors for clients with chronic wounds. 
Linda is a co-director and faculty member of the International Interprofessional Wound Care Course and is a faculty member of the Advanced Health Care Practice – Wound Healing program at Western University. Linda regularly presents workshops and webinars across Canada and is the Director, Learning and Clinical Education for Motion. 

Dr. Tilak Dutta is a Senior Scientist at the Kite Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – UHN, and holds Assistant Professor cross-appointments at the University of Toronto at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute. He leads the Engineering Health team, whose goal is to give individuals with disabilities and their caregivers the tools they need to live independently in their own homes. The three specific focus areas of his work are preventing falls, caregiver back injuries and pressure injuries.

Rob Mands is the Manager, Customer Accessibility at Air Canada, Canada’s flagship carrier. With over 20 years of aviation experience, If there’s a job at the airport, Rob has probably either done it himself or led the team responsible. With his extensive operations background, Rob uses his technical expertise to lead projects that remove barriers in air travel. One major focus of his career has been to shape Air Canada’s ground handling procedures with the protection of mobility aids in mind.

International Speaker, Best Selling Author and recipient of the King’s Coronation Medal, Julie is committed to helping everyone simplify accessibility.
 
After sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2015, Julie became intimately aware of the everyday challenges of living in a world not built with accessibility in mind. Since then, she has become an industry leader, helping stakeholders understand how accessible spaces and services maximize safety, maintain dignity and allow independence through practical solutions.
 
Using storytelling, expertise and humour, Julie reminds us that we all have a part to play in creating a world where people with disabilities don’t have to expend extra energy to simply do life.

Shelley Roberts received her PhD from Carleton University in 2009, and Masters in Science was received from Tufts University in Experimental Psychology. She has over 15 years in human factors consulting and research within high-reliability industries such as healthcare, defence, security, nuclear and aerospace. Currently she is a Senior Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada where she leads a wide range of research, design and development projects related to passenger and crew air travel at the Centre for Air Travel Research in Ottawa. Her passion is research and co-design that improves the safety, efficiency, comfort, health and accessibility for Canadian air travelers using holistic methods that are inclusive.

Brad have been with Perimeter Aviation since 2012, moving through various positions around the organization such as Flight Operations and Cargo Operations. His day to day role oversees ground operations, air ambulance division, cargo operations, and customer service. He currently holds a Bachelors of Commerce degree, and currently completing an MBA at the University of North Dakota.