Abilities, Opportunities & the Future of Work

Registration is now open for Abilities, Opportunities & the Future of Work, a full-day conference on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 (8:00 a.m.–5:45 p.m.) at MSU’s Minskoff Pavilion. The event will bring together industry leaders, HR managers, academics, state partners, and disability advocates to explore new ways of creating workplaces where people of all abilities can thrive.

Sriram Narayanan, the chairperson of the Department of Supply Chain Management and the Eli Broad Professor in Supply Chain Management

Why is this conference so important in our world today? To that question, Sriram Narayanan, the chairperson of the Department of Supply Chain Management and the Eli Broad Professor in Supply Chain Management, pointed to sobering national data.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2024 report, Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics, only 22.7% of people with a disability were employed compared with 65.5% of people without a disability. The unemployment rate for people with a disability was 7.5%, nearly double that of those without (3.8%). “We need to find new methods for engaging every employee possible. That’s one avenue for economic growth,” Narayanan explained. “Having these conversations allows us to think about that in a more broad-based way. These conversations also contribute to economic growth opportunities to make sure that the workforce of all abilities finds productive jobs.”

Beth Hammond, managing director of the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, emphasized that this conference is unique, drives inter-disciplinary communication, and is a fundamental part of understanding how we can better support the needs of a diverse and evolving workforce.

Beth Hammond, managing director of the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership

“The Abilities, Opportunities, and Future of Work Conference is a space where organizations from across the state of Michigan can come together to have conversations around how we support people of all abilities in the workplace,” Hammond said. “Talking about hiring practices, or what support different people need with different abilities. Talking about new technologies that are available to support people and industries to more effectively and efficiently allow all to participate in the workforce.”

Hammond also highlighted the excitement of bringing this conference back for a second time: “We had our very first conference in 2023, and we’re coming back together now this fall. We have a full day of exciting speakers coming from both across the state of Michigan and across the country to talk about best practices, new ideas, and innovation around ensuring that the workplace supports people of all and varying abilities. It’s awesome!”

Hammond and Narayanan expressed that conferences like this create a kind of symbiotic community of knowledge, since no one person has all the answers. “I appreciate that this space brings academics and industry professionals together with people with a wide variety of disabilities and different abilities, because it’s going to take all of us,” Hammond said. “We’re not going to have all of the answers inside an educational space. The industry professionals aren’t going to have all the answers. We need to come together and figure out how to do things differently so that we can include people regardless of their ability.”

Sarah George, director of mission initiatives at Peckham, emphasized that nonprofits play a unique role in advancing inclusion. “This conference is about bringing every sector to the table because true inclusion requires collaboration. Nonprofits in particular bring deep expertise and lived connection to the disability community, which makes their engagement essential,” she said.

With that spirit of collaboration in mind, the organizers hope to welcome a diverse group of participants. The goal is to bring voices from every corner of the workforce to the table;  leaders, managers, and advocates who can help shape more inclusive practices and policies. “There’ll be a large number of industry professionals,” Narayanan said, noting leaders such as Brian Calley, director of the Small Business Association of Michigan. He added that the team especially hopes to see HR vice presidents, HR managers, and operations managers across levels—“those who are working on a floor of different operations.”

As Narayanan emphasized, the most compelling reason to attend can be summed up simply: “Want an effective workforce? Don’t miss this event.”

This conference isn’t just another event, it’s a strategic continuation of Michigan State University’s broader mission of creating an effective workforce for the state of Michigan. The first conference, held in 2023, was funded through support from the National Science Foundation. The conference is founded on MSU ethos of building a powerful legacy of interdisciplinary, ability-first innovation that spans beyond the classroom and into real-world impact, especially with regard to disability employment. By bringing together thought leaders across academia, industry, policy, and advocacy, Abilities, Opportunities & the Future of Work embodies the university’s ethos: leveraging research-driven, collaboration-oriented leadership to foster inclusion, enhance economic opportunity, and drive societal progress.

“This conference reflects Michigan’s growing leadership in inclusive workforce innovation,” said Jenny Piatt, bureau division director of Michigan Rehabilitation Services. “Through collaboration among state vocational rehabilitation, nonprofits, academia, the business community, and individuals with disabilities, we are working to elevate ability and strengthen both pathways to and retention of employment. State vocational rehabilitation brings a deep understanding of disability employment and workforce development, offering practical solutions that connect skilled talent with business needs and contribute to building more inclusive and adaptive workplaces.”

In short, this event isn’t just about conversation, it’s about action. And at its heart stands MSU’s commitment to inclusive futures, guided by several scholarly leaders who blend scholarly rigor with real-world impact. The event also brings together planning committee members who have scholarly interests in workforce development and disability employment across several colleges and departments within MSU including the College of Education, the College of Engineering and the College of Social Sciences. 

Learn more about the conference and register to attend at their webpage.