Inspiring Possibilities, the Community Living Ontario Conference, 2026

Last week, along with several other MVACL employees, I had the pleasure of attending the Community Living Ontario Conference. Before arriving, I had a general idea of what to expect, such as networking, information, and neat resources. The event itself, with close to 50 individual exhibits and sponsors, and over 20 different sessions, absolutely blew my expectations away. Inclusion was this year's theme and resonated beautifully among the attendees and the presenters.

Upon arrival at the Hilton in Markham, we were surrounded by a huge variety of people from every walk of life. The overall vibe of the building was humming with excitement as we stood in line to register. Standing in line, I’d already started making friends, who would later become my dance partners! Our first afternoon was used to start exploring the various groups and ideas represented. There was so much to learn, everything from supportive training and creative ideas to the advancement of collecting information with AI, touch screen technology, or the impact of new research, and its effect on support and being supported. Among so many more. Getting to visit each provided a plethora of tools and resources.

We had the opportunity to meet Keynote Speaker, Maayan Ziv, who highlighted the importance of inclusion and accessibility. Maayan shared her lived experience of being a young adult who couldn’t attend the same events as her friends and peers, because wheelchair accessibility simply wasn’t available. Her own obstacles inspired her to create the accessibility resource app called AccessNow. It started small and is now an international resource for so many people. Her entrepreneurship is as impressive as her speaking presence. She was a great way to start day 2, inviting ideas and creating a desire to learn more. Learning opportunities came next, during “Breakout Sessions”

The Breakout sessions, various presentations in different rooms, provided a vast range of topics. The hardest part was deciding which one to sit in! Some of the sessions I chose were to learn about brain health, listening to self-advocates discussing their roles in our work, and learning the history of institutions, and how it impacts lives still today. Being part of a group that had such vast diversity, from all the corners of Ontario, gave each session incredible insights and knowledge.

Some of the most powerful insights about inclusion came from the CLO Council themselves, an inspiring group of self-advocates that continue to make positive changes for Community Living, and for the communities they live in. Many of their policies and ideas and solutions reach beyond their hometowns and effect change for others facing similar challenges. The Council panel discussion was full of great examples of how we can manifest change for ourselves and others.

Change within us can happen in many ways, my favourite is self-growth. This conference provided access to so many different opportunities for change and inclusion. I found myself at the Fanshaw College Exhibit discussing their online DSW Apprenticeship Program! I also picked up various handouts from some interesting places, another one of my favourites, The Happy Place, who have the coolest interactive programs using touch technology!

The event also featured a spectacular dinner and awards Gala our last night. Many well-deserved awards were presented to some incredible humans! What an honour to cheer for them! After being fed delicious food and celebrating achievements, it was time to dance! And dance we did! Well, some of us anyways

The conference was officially wrapped up with an incredible performance by Tkaronto Métis Jiggers. What a skill they demonstrated and even tried to teach us! Dancing on a dance floor with no expectations is one thing, but the skill and precision needed for jigging is not in my wheelhouse, but Simon took on the challenge!

A 3-day conference about inclusion gave us access to some of the newest resources, the most inspiring people and more opportunities to learn than I thought possible.

When asked how it was, my answer is almost always the same.. It was amazing! I ate, drank, and danced, all the while being surrounded by a great group of people and I even learned a lot along the way!

Written by Annie Dooley