The Inaugural Harkin Summit on Scaling Disability-Driven Innovation Summit is set to take place May 9-10, 2023. The Summit is hosted by The Harkin Institute in partnership with Cruise, Voya Financial, the CEO Commission for Disability Employment, the Perkins School for the Blind, and Walmart.

The Summit will build on existing work done at The Harkin Institute focused on assessing vocational rehabilitation policies and self-employment services in all 50 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia, as well as research exploring the connection between disability inclusion and long-term value creation for shareholders and stakeholders – such as employees, consumers, and our communities.

Tuesday May 9th, 2023

Day 1 of the Summit will consist of a series of small group, invite-only panel discussions and interactive roundtable discussions. If interested in attending, please contact Director of Disability Policy, Daniel Van Sant at daniel.vansant@drake.edu.

Wednesday May 10th, 2023

Day 2 is open to the public and will focus on fostering the innovative potential of persons with disabilities and creating employment opportunities by allowing entrepreneurs and business owners to pitch their start-up idea to local businesses, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. The presentations will be followed by a job fair and social where organizations can network with and interview prospective candidates. Career mentors will also be present to provide advice to job seekers on skills such as resume building, networking, and interviewing.

Businesses interested in participating in the job fair and those interested in being a mentor can find more information by clicking here.

Please note: The Scaling Disability-Driven Innovation Summit is a complimentary, topical summit that is in addition to the signature International Harkin Summit on Disability Employment that will take place in December of 2023.