In September 2022, Ms. Gillian Pranke became Assistant Commissioner, Assessment, Benefit, and Service Branch (ABSB) at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). ABSB is responsible for the assessment of taxes, processing a wide range of federal and provincial credits and benefits including the Canada Child Benefit and the Disability Tax Credit, and providing services to Canadians both electronically (e.g. CRA’s online portals such as My Account, My Business Account) and through the CRA contact centres across the country. Ms. Pranke is also CRA’s national champion for Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Ms. Pranke has held a variety of senior level positions within the CRA of increasing responsibility, including Director of the International Tax Services Office, Director of the Ottawa Tax Services Office, and Director of the Ottawa Technology Centre and Director General, Call Centre Services Directorate.

Ms. Pranke holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, is a graduate of the Public Service Commission’s DirEXion program, and has completed the Certificate Program in Public Service Leadership and Governance with the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Jennifer Zwicker is the Director of Social Policy and Health at the School of Public Policy, and an associate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She also serves as the Canada Research Chair in Disability Policy for Children and Youth, and the Deputy Scientific Officer for Kids Brain Health Network.

With broad interests in the impact of health and social policy on health and socioeconomic outcomes, Dr. Zwicker’s research program assesses interventions and informs policy around allocation of funding, services, and supports for youth with disabilities and their families. Using quantitative and qualitative approaches, her research team looks at access and utilization of supports and services, including the Disability Tax Credit. Recognized for her policy leadership as an Action Canada Alumni, and selection for the Governor General Leadership Forum, Dr. Zwicker’s strong stakeholder and government collaboration has been critical in the translation of peer-reviewed publications to policy papers, op-eds, and briefing notes.

Recently she was a member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences National Autism Strategy Working Group, and the Royal Society of Canada Expert Working Group where she worked on recoMme ndations to develop disability inclusive policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holder of a bachelor’s degree in business administration and father of two children, Guillaume Parent has never let his cerebral palsy get in the way of his aspirations and his autonomy.

After working for a few years in business financing at Fondaction, he noticed that the measures intended for people with disabilities are largely underused. This is what motivated him to found the financial services firm Finandicap in 2010. Being the very first firm to offer the RDSP at the heart of its mission, Finandicap is surrounded by collaborators all bound by a disability.

Furthermore, Mr. Parent is campaigning for a better appropriation of economic rights for this segment of the population. He has been the President of Finandicap since 2010.

For the last 17 years, Sharon has been navigating health systems, involved in research, policy consultations, inclusive education, and housing projects for the Autism and the disability community provincially and nationally. For the last 4 years, she has been a member of and recent Co-Chair of the Disability Advisory Committee appointed by the Minister of Revenue and the CRA, and has contributed to 4 reports. She has contributed as a panelist at conferences and for consultations on various topics regarding disability policy from economic inclusion to navigation and accessibility of benefits, and more. She recently left her part-time role as Director of Engagement at the Child-Bright Research Network, but has remained associated with the Network as an Advisor. She is the Founder and the Executive Director of La Fondation Place Coco and the Little Red Playhouse since its inception in 2008.

Jonathan Lai (PhD) is the Executive Director at the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance (CASDA). He also holds an Adjunct Faculty position in Health Services Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. At CASDA, Jonathan's current work involves responding to emerging policy gaps in the autism sector and being a constructive policy idea generator to guide the development of a National Autism Strategy in Canada.

Jonathan’s career has moved from generating research to policy impact in the autism and disability sector. Previously, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at York University followed by a Health System Impact Fellowship at McGill University and the Centre for Innovation in Autism and Intellectual Disabilities in Montreal. In his work, he researched predictors of changes in service use for people with developmental disabilities. He has led the development of a program evaluation of a specialized medical-dental primary care clinic for people with developmental disabilities, led policy dialogues, and hosted Side Events at the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. His graduate training in Neuroscience at Guelph and McMaster focused on gene-environment influences on the developing brain, funded consecutively by Ontario Mental Health Foundation and a CIHR Vanier Scholarship.

Brendon Pooran is the Managing Partner of PooranLaw Professional Corporation, a law firm based in Toronto which provides advice to people with disabilities, their families and community-based organizations within the disability sector. His primary areas of practice include trust and estate planning, disability law and corporate law for non-profits and charities. He has been very involved in law and policy reforms efforts involving issues and initiatives affecting people with disabilities including the legal capacity, affordable housing, social assistance programs and the Registered Disability Saving Plan. In addition to his practice, Brendon is a professor of Disability Law at York University and a former Senior Lawyer Member on the Ontario Consent & Capacity Board. He is also a founding director of PLAN Toronto (now Partners for Planning) and Chair of the Board of Microboards Ontario, both non-profit organizations focused on future planning for people with disabilities and their families. Before entering the legal profession, Brendon spent several years as a management consultant where he advised state and local government agencies in the United States.

Dr. Emile Tompa is a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH). Dr. Tompa is a labour and health economist with an MBA from the University of British Columbia. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Toronto and a PhD in economics from McMaster University.

Dr. Tompa has also been appointed associate professor in the Department of Economics at McMaster University, and as assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Tompa was recently appointed executive director of Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA), a mid-term social innovation laboratory that strives to build employer capacity for inclusive employment. IDEA has been funded for a six-year term (2022-2028) by the New Frontiers in Research Transformation Stream.

Dr. Tompa was also the director of the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy, which was funded for 8 years (2013-2021) by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant. He is also a steering committee member of the Disability and Work in Canada initiative, which is a community initiative that hosts an annual stakeholder conference and an annual Federal-Provincial/Territorial policy roundtable.

Liza Arnason holds a bachelor of arts degree, and master’s degree in equity and education. She is an award winning business owner, senior administrator, and educator.

Liza is Owner and Principal of Arnason Consulting, and founder of ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities, where she currently serves as Board Chair. Her career of over 30 years has included roles of leadership and advocacy in critical social and organizational transformation areas. These include education equity (with specific attention to anti-black racism, disability justice, and accommodations), organizational governance and policy, strategic change management, and executive coaching.

Liza has served as inaugural Assistant Dean of Students, Community Outreach, and International Experience at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. She founded the Tri-mentoring Program at Toronto Metropolitan University, and is an adjunct professor at Ontario Tech University.

Across her various roles in post-secondary and other organizational spaces, Liza draws on critical pedagogy and research to identify gaps, and uses evidence-based research to develop recoMme ndations for, and build new models and frameworks to, support marginalized communities. She volunteers her time as a subject expert within community committees including; as a grant reviewer, and as a panelist on working groups such as the ICES People’s Panel: Race and Ethnicity Data Framework (health).

Most importantly, Liz is a mother, grandmother, authentic storyteller, mentor, and unapologetic change agent.

Dr. Housden is a family nurse Practitioner in BC. She has been a nurse for 21 years, and an Nurse Practitioner for 14 years. After completing her Masters in Nursing, Nurse Practitioner at the University of British Columbia she started her PhD and was one of the first Nurse Practitioner to graduate with a PhD in British Columbia. She was a Michael Smith Foundation scholar, participated in the APN Chair Program and was also a Tutor PCH Trainee. Her doctoral focus was on care delivery models with Nurse Practitioners for patients with chronic conditions. She is the Director of Nurse Practitioners in Fraser Health Authority, supporting a team of over 150 Nurse Practitioners and leading the strategy, development and evaluation of Nurse Practitioner roles across practice areas. Her current clinical practice is in Primary Care as a member of the Aboriginal Health team. In 2018 she was honored with a centenary medal from the UBC School of Nursing.

Randy Dickinson is a longtime disability advocate and has a physical mobility disability that requires him to use a power wheelchair for mobility. However his disability has not prevented him from an active professional and volunteer life. He worked for many years for several disability organizations including a long period as the senior staff person of the provincial Premier’s Council on Disabilities and served as their Chairperson after his retirement. He is the past Chair of the NB Human Rights Commission. Mr.Dickinson served as a member of many local, provincial and national committees and boards including the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.

For his efforts, Randy has received a number of public awards including being named as a Member of the Order of Canada and a Member of the Order of New Brunswick. Randy lives in Fredericton, NB with his wife Karen who is a retired occupational therapist.

Veronika Kiryanova is a published neuroscientist, university instructor, community leader, and mental health advocate. A life-changing neurological event profoundly impacted her communication, mobility, and cognition. This experience sparked her commitment to patient engagement, advocacy, and awareness-building across the healthcare sector and beyond. Veronika collaborates closely with brain injury societies and universities, providing insights and support. She serves as a co-chair, advisor, and research partner on multiple provincial and national research projects. Her goal is to ensure patient voices are heard and that healthcare focuses on everyone's well-being.

Veronika is supported by Luna, her yellow Labrador Retriever from Dogs with Wings Assistance Dog Society.

Noralou Roos is Professor Emerita at the University of Manitoba. As part of her Get Your Benefits project, she worked with health care providers and community groups to ensure people access the benefits they are eligible for. This project promoted the Disability Tax Credit, the Registered Disability Savings Plan and several other benefits which are under subscribed and not understood by many who are eligible.

She Co-Founded the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, which provides research evidence about population health and service use (including that related to disability issues) in Manitoba. Roos organized academics to work with Health Canada and provincial governments, establishing the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network. This was funded with a $31 million commitment from the Minister of Health in 2009, and $10/million a year of ongoing funding. As Founding Director of EvidenceNetwork.ca, she networked more than 80 high profile academics across the country to ensure research findings are communicated to the public and not just to other academics.

Roos’ contributions have been recognized by the Order of Canada (promoted to Officer), membership in the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and induction to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

Paul Lupien had three careers in his life before becoming disabled, as an executive chef in a kitchen, as an industrial automation technician specializing in hydroelectric power stations and energy transportation, and as a businessman. He’s still a DJ for fun.

He also volunteered with various community organizations, including Association sportive des aveugles du Québec, where he did a lot of tandem cycling during the summer.

On April 11, 2017, he was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease, and in November 2017, he was told that he would now have to use a wheelchair and that he could no longer work in his restaurant. Noting accessibility problems for persons with disabilities in 2018, he became involved in the defence of collective rights in Quebec, first with RAPLIQ and later with INÉÉI-PSH. He represents these organizations at the Confédération des organismes de personnes handicapées du Québec (COPHAN) and twice filled in as interim Chair before he officially became the Chair in 2021. Very involved in the community sector, he also sits on the board of directors as a director of the Institut National pour l’Équité, l’Égalité et l’Inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap (INÉÉI-PSH), of the Réseau québécois pour l’inclusion sociale des personnes sourdes et malentendantes (REQIS) and also a member of several committees to represent persons with disabilities in Quebec.