EMBRACE 2 Learn Inc.
Year of inception: 2020
Brand name:
Address: 16 Rutherford Road South, Brampton, ON, Canada
Postal code: L6W 3J1
Business category: EDI Consulting (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion)
Primary Contact Details
Name: Michelle Buckland
Email: Michelle@embrace2learn.com
Phone: (416) 433-7746
Website: https://www.embrace2learn.com
Identifier: DV
Company Description
The vision of EMBRACE 2 Learn Inc. is to Make Accessibility a Fundamental Part of an Inclusive Culture. In other words, normalize the global mindset of accessibility and inclusion at no set limits.
One in five Canadians has a disability – over 8 million people – and they represent purchasing power worth a whopping $55 billion annually (Abilities Magazine, 2023). Globally, there are over 1 billion people living with a disability – 16% of the world’s population – who hold $8 trillion in spending power (WHO, 2023). Preparing a business to make the jump to inclusivity is a smart business decision – financially, avoid legal repercussions, increased market reach, innovation, and just the right thing to do.
We help companies serve the untapped target market of people with disabilities (PwD) as a competitive advantage, Diversity and Inclusion champion, and Difference Maker via training, digital accessibility, web accessibility assessments, compliance of accessibility legislation, accessible document remediation, curriculum development via an accessibility lens, and keynote speaking.
Some past clients are Bell Canada, Ministry of Education, Independent Electricity Systems Operator (IESO), and Queens Transition and College Access Centre of the New York Department of Education. The Founder, Michelle Buckland – who has lived with a disability for over 30 years – has been in the Training and Development field for 25+ years, an Accessibility Advisor for 10+ years, and a Keynote Speaker for 15+ years. The company and Michelle have been recognized and awarded nationally and globally. For example:
- 2024 Top 100 Black Community Builder and Black Champion for City of Brampton
- 2021 Accessibility Award for the City of Brampton
- 2021 Top 150 Women of Inspiration Finalist Award
- 2018 Michele Edwards Memorial Award for Advocacy for People with Disabilities
- Co-Presenter for the 2021 Canada’s Career Development Annual CANNEXUS21 Conference
- Key Presenter at the 2021 Annual Ontario Alliance of Black School Educators Conference: Empowering Educational Excellence Through Equity
- Sit on Accessibility Advisory Committees (i.e., Metrolinx Accessibility Advisory Committee, City of Brampton Accessibility Advisor Committee, Barrier-free Canada, CASE Diversity Works Project Steering Committee, and Public Focus Group Member of Accessibility Standards Canada)
Our motto: “Accessibility is an ASSET; not a privilege.”
Community & Social Impact
A core mantra of the disability movement is “Nothing about us without us”.
EMBRACE 2 Learn Inc. services help:
- Address corporate responsibility,
- Increase the DEI Index,
- Meet accessibility legislation annual goals,
- Decrease the unemployment gap of PwD,
- Address intersectionality gaps,
- Build employee and community engagement,
- Improve the education system,
- Increase access in the mobility environment,
- Result with better safety records, and
- Enhance disability management.
Accessibility is not only required due to legislation and inclusion for people with disabilities; but, also is provides a good user experience for everyone. We acknowledge that we should not be viewed as a fix, afterthought, or legal-focused, and must not overlook the scale of the challenges for disability inclusion that persist in both business and society. Only by continuing to champion and be an ally for people with disabilities will we drive a cultural shift and reap the social and economic benefits of catering to the disability community.