Pac Rim 2025

Pre-Conference Events

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Symposium on Global Perspectives on Disability Engagement in the Workplace

Friday, April 11, 2025
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM HST

Virtual via Zoom

Overview

The 3rd ‘Ike Loa Symposium, hosted by the Pacific Inclusive Education Research and Resources (PIER) – Inclusive Gifted Education Center, at the Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, brings together local, national, and international researchers, practitioners, businesses, organizations, individuals with disabilities, families, and advocates to explore disability engagement in the workplace.

This year’s symposium, titled as “Global Perspectives on Disability Engagement in the Workplace,” focuses on innovative approaches to supporting individuals with disabilities in career transitions and equipping employers with the knowledge and tools to foster inclusive workplaces.

This virtual event will take place on Friday, April 11, 2025, from 12:00 to 4:00 PM (Hawaii Time) and will feature expert speakers from around the world. The symposium will include individual presentations from various countries and a panel discussion, offering attendees valuable insights into effective initiatives, effective practices, and employer or employee training programs that promote the employment and retention of individuals with disabilities in the workplace.

At the end of this event, participant sites will be able to:

  1. Understand various initiatives different countries have implemented to support the career transitions of individuals with disabilities.
  2. Identify key challenges individuals with disabilities face in the employment.
  3. Explore effective strategies used across different countries to promote inclusive hiring, onboarding, and retention practices.
  4. Engage in discussions on successful cases and lessons learned from workplace disability inclusion efforts.
  5. Develop ideas to apply in their own workplaces to enhance disability engagement.

How to Register

Please submit the registration form by March 31, 2025.

Contact

Dr. Hye Jin Park
parkhye@hawaii.edu

Presentations

  1. Advancing Disability Employment in China: Insights from Hailiang’s Person-Centered Flexibility Approach

Dr. Youjia Hua, Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Virginia and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral (BCBA-D), conducts research on interventions that improve postsecondary education outcomes for individuals with disabilities, particularly young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). He has designed and assessed interventions that enhance academic skills, vocational training, and self-determination in inclusive postsecondary settings. In China, he led the development of the country’s first graduate-level ABA program to prepare teachers and parents to support learners with disabilities. His research explores evidence-based instructional strategies, assistive technology, and workplace accommodations to foster student independence and career success.

Jian He is the Director of the Hailiang Rongai Intellectual Disability Employment Service Center (NGO) and General Manager of Zhejiang Rongai Xing Catering Management Co., Ltd., a social enterprise committed to promoting disability-inclusive employment. As a member of the Vocational Rehabilitation Committee of the China Association of Rehabilitation for Disabled Persons, he has designed job training programs and employment support models for individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. His efforts have enabled many to develop vocational skills and achieve stable employment. Recognized with multiple awards, his innovative strategies have been widely adopted in inclusive workforce programs across China.

2. Employment of People with Disabilities in Korea: Policies, Cases, and Personal Stories

Dr. Kijung Ryu is an assistant professor in the School of Education at Cal Poly Humboldt. Her research interests include interventions for children with challenging behaviors and pedagogical approaches for culturally and linguistically diverse children with disabilities.

Jeong Taek Lim has been a dedicated advocate for disability employment and social innovation in Korea. He currently serves as the Co-CEO of The Work Lab, where he focuses on disability employment research, and as an adjunct professor at Handong University’s ICT Entrepreneurship Department. He is also the founder of Hisbeans, a café brand that creates job opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Launched in 2009 as a startup club project, Hisbeans developed a unique business model that specializes in in-house cafés serving B2B and B2G clients, leveraging Korea’s “mandatory employment system for the disabled.” This model has successfully maintained stable sales while supporting the employment of individuals with disabilities in the competitive coffee market. More recently, Jeong Taek Lim has been expanding efforts to create “jobs where disability becomes a career.” Through initiatives like universal design consultancy and F&B supervision roles, he continues to address real-world employment challenges for people with disabilities.

3. Empowering Persons with Disabilities in Thailand: Unlocking Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges

Dr. Tavee Cheausuwantavee is a professor at Ratchasuda Institute, Faculty of Medicine Ramahibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand. He is also the director of the Ph.D. program in Quality Life Development for Persons with Disabilities and a former dean of Ratchasuda College. He has worked on and researched quality of life development for persons with disabilities, employment for persons with disabilities, disability policy, community-based rehabilitation, and the intersectionality of aging and disability. He had worked at the Center on Disability Studies (CDS), University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. He also had ever been a UNESCAP Expert in action research on disability, poverty, and livelihoods.

4. Empowering Hawaii’s Workforce: Disability Employment in Action

Jared Galea’i is a specialist at the University of Hawaii, Center on Disability Studies. He is a principal investigator on projects at CDS related to employment, transition services and benefits planning. He also currently serves as a Co-Facilitator for the Disability:IN Hawaii Chapter. He is a former Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with State agencies working with high schools, colleges, corrections and Native American Rehabilitation Programs. His interests are in employment, advocacy and education.

Patrick Gartside is the founding Executive Director of Work Now Hawaii, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. His leadership extends to statewide initiatives as President of the Hawaii chapter of the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), where he spearheads systems change activities in the state. Additionally, as Chairperson of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Hawaii, he works to champion independent living philosophy, advocating for inclusion, community integration, and equal rights for people with disabilities.

Ken Kajihara started his educational career as a teacher of secondary agriculture, math and science. He later served as a Hawai’i State Department of Education (HIDOE) state curriculum specialist for agriculture education, the Future Farmers of America leadership organization, and a work-study program for exceptional students. Ken also held HIDOE positions managing environmental safety, occupational safety and school facilities programs. Since retiring from the HIDOE in 2012, he has volunteered to support school sustainability and Maker programs. He now works as an educational specialist for the Workforce Transition Center.