Seattle, WA, Sept. 28 – After two years of an exclusively virtual conference due to COVID, the Pacific Northwest Employment Forum took place in-person in Spokane, WA last week. More than 250 attendees from Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii gathered together to advance the work of workforce development, Employment First policies, and true equitable employment for people with disabilities.
The opening keynote speaker was Carrie Davis, the Vice President of Patient Experience at Hanger Clinic, the nation’s largest prosthetics and orthotics provider. Born without her left arm, Davis has worn a prosthesis since she was 9 months old. She shared how she was initially ashamed and afraid to present her disability and prosthesis, and would hide her arm behind her back. But she grew to see her disability as a part of her full existence, and it has shaped her outlook and approach to life and disability justice.