Embracing change is no longer an option. It’s a necessity.

Dr. Marjorie Aunos is a researcher, speaker, and consultant on accessibility and inclusion. She teaches organizations and educators to solution-find and build environments that are accessible, inclusive, and welcoming to families with disabilities - in particular families headed by parents with disabilities.

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Within the next 10 years, 1 in 4 people will have a disability.

That means pretty soon, 25% of everyone we know will require accessibility in order to engage with us in a meaningful way. 

People with disabilities are not ‘other people’ - they’re our colleagues, customers, friends, teachers, and fellow students.

Is it possible to create universal accessibility, where everyone feels welcome? 

Yes - but only if we stop focusing on problems and start finding solutions.

“She is the speaker you want to hire if you are looking for transformation through inspiration.”

Marjorie Aunos represents the essence of our Speaker Slam brand. Her journey to winning our 2021 Inspirational Speaker of the Year has been nothing but brilliantly inspiring! She is a phenomenal writer, beautiful speaker, and she embodies vulnerability, compassion and excellence. She is the speaker you want to hire if you are looking for transformation through inspiration. And it won't hurt to keep a box of Kleenex nearby.

Rina Rovinelli

Co-founder of Speaker Slam & Emerging Speakers

MEET MARJORIE

Hi! I am Marjorie Aunos. And I was a valuable employee. As a Psychologist. Manager. Lecturer. Supervisor. And I was the single mom who could do it all. Until a car accident rendered me paraplegic.

In one second, I had become the single parent of a rambunctious 16 months old boy, sole breadwinner of my family, trying to comprehend what life would be like as a mom on wheels. All my responsibilities weighing heavily on my shoulders. 

If the accident seemed to have destroyed my life it didn’t change me at the core. My skill set hadn’t changed either. I even had an additional untapped beneficial new perspective. I just needed accommodations. And this did not mean I needed a ramp to be installed (even though I really did)! What I needed was for my boss to think completely outside the box.

And she did! We looked at the specific tasks. Identified who in my team would be best suited to do them. Remodeled our role descriptions and made it work. When she was promoted to a new job – it all fell apart. And when it did, I just couldn't keep up anymore.

This experience taught me three things:

  1. How an open-minded, flexible management style can bring forward everyone’s contributing value to a team – no matter their role or job;

  2. How creativity and a collaborative framework will ensure organizations recruit and retain qualified and valuable assets

  3. How focusing on finding solutions makes us find resources to thrive forward.

Embracing change leads us to learn from different perspectives.

As Featured in

Here’s What People Are Saying

  • “Of becoming and being parents with disabilities, extra hurdles and stigmas are often present in navigating life with their children. Marjorie offers important advice about being positive and creative in finding solutions to every day parenting problems. She also reminds parents with disabilities that a solution doesn’t have to be perfect or permanent to serve its purpose. I love her message about the importance of inclusion – because when we can all fully participate with our children, it means that no parent or child is left behind. Kudos Marjorie, you’re a difference maker for your son, and you’ve set an incredible example for all parents through your life, mindset and your work!”

    Rick Hansen

    Founder, Rick Hansen Foundation

  • It has been an honour and privilege to work with and get to know Marjorie. She has a natural gift as a speaker to completely and authentically deliver from the heart, with relatable stories and a well crafted structure. She wants to make a difference in this world, and does so by sharing inspiring messages to those she speaks to, and they will carry those messages long after the presentation ends.

    Ian Tyson

    Veteran Motivational Speaker and Trainer, Author, Comedian, Silver Lining Prospector

  • You know those people that make an immediate and positive impact on your life? Marjorie is one of those people for us! We were blessed to have her as our podcast guest, sharing her beautiful story of hope through tragedy. Her heart of love shines through in every aspect of her story.

    Stephanie Martino & Lydia Zuniga

    Co-Founders of Hope Warriors Project

  • Marjorie combines a thoughtful, wise mind with an embracing heart to bring us stories that inspire and compel us to positive change - either on behalf of ourselves or those around us. Her stories are powerful, poignant and to the point and as a speaker she brings such a clear consideration to any topic that we are left wiser and somehow bigger within ourselves. There is goodness in all her work

    Dr. Maria Sirois

    Psychologist, Inspirational Speaker & Author

  • Marjorie's keynote address to our Australian National Virtual (on-line) Disability Conferenccalled us to consider if the challenges were in fact appropriately ascribed to the person with disability or more appropriately challenges for the service system and our wider society. Importantly, Marjorie was able to contrast the experience of parents with ID with that of her own experience of parenting with a physical disability and drew on her extensive research experience to bring solutions to these challenges including ways in which service providers, parents, and natural supports can work together in order to maximize self-determination of parents with ID to promote family quality of life.

    Keith McVilly PhD

    Professor, Convenor for the Australian National Virtual Disability Conference

  • Marjorie is one of the best storytellers I've had the privilege of watching over the past 2 years. She has proven herself as an amazing speaker beating out over 300 speakers to become the 2021 Inspirational Speaker of the Year. She has an amazing work ethic and go-getter attitude which make her an asset to any team. We partnered with Marjorie to launch our Amplifying Voices series supporting Parents with DIF-abilities. She not only put the event together with a remarkable group of speakers, she even was able to get national media attention to the online event getting it featured in Global News and CTV

    Dan Shaikh

    Co-Founder of Speaker Slam & Emerging Speakers

Honourable Chantal Petitclerc

Paralympian, Senator and Mother

Working Together is Simple

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