ASL and LSQ INTERPRETATION available until 6pm

Check in, collect your badge, and join us as we officially welcome attendees! 

What is Smudging? 

Smudging is a traditional Indigenous ceremony that has been passed down through generations by many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. Sacred Medicines such as sage, sweetgrass, cedar, or tobacco, are gently burned, and the smoke is used to help cleanse the mind, body, and spirit. Many people also use smudging to offer prayers, set positive intentions, or prepare for gatherings and ceremonies.

Each morning of the conference, participants are invited to join an optional smudging ceremony and sharing circle. 

This is a time to come together, reflect, and connect with one another, and begin the day in a good way. Everyone is welcome, whether you have participated in a smudging ceremony before or if it is your first time.

Participation is always optional. If you choose not to smudge, you are still warmly welcome to attend, observe, or simply enjoy the space with us.

Check in, collect your badges, and sign up for the events during the week!

As Deaf and hard of hearing women, career advancement often requires more than technical skills—it requires access, relationships, and intentional support systems. This interactive workshop explores how networking and mentoring can be powerful tools for career development, leadership growth, and long-term success. 

Drawing from my personal journey as a first-generation South Asian Deaf woman navigating corporate, nonprofit, and executive leadership spaces, I will guide participants through practical, real-world strategies for building meaningful professional relationships, identifying mentors and sponsors, showing up effectively as mentees, and using networks with confidence and purpose rather than pressure. 

Through guided reflection, small-group discussion, and practical exercises, participants will learn how to network authentically in Deaf, hearing, and mixed environments; how to seek mentorship at different career stages; and how mentoring relationships can evolve into sponsorship, leadership opportunities, and personal confidence. 

This workshop aligns with the AWE (All Women Empowered) theme by reframing networking and mentoring as skills that can be learned, practiced, and owned. Participants will leave with actionable tools, greater clarity, and renewed confidence to support their career growth—at any stage of their professional journey.

Mental health and wellness information focuses a lot on self-care and coping strategies. We are constantly told "try journalling, try mindfulness, here's a meditation app for deep breathing" etc. However, understanding the reasons behind these things can help us recognize which skills would work best for us, and how to adapt them into accessible practices for Deaf/HH women to incorporate into their daily lives.

Zines are one of the most powerful ways for marginalized communities to resist oppression. This is especially relevant for Deaf women, because the educational system that we were raised in has taught us that paper belongs to auralcentric written languages like English or French. Learning how to create zines will dissipate this false belief by providing free space for raw expression of one’s experiences.

In this workshop, Adrean will teach attendees how to create a zine from a single sheet of paper. She will also share techniques for expressing one’s Deaf experiences in visual form. As they say in feminist circles, “The personal is political,” likewise, we are empowering Deaf women by providing additional means for us to bring light to the things we go through on a daily basis. 

Participants will leave this workshop armed with knowledge of easily accessible ways to create zines and share with their local Deaf communities.

In this workshop, I will guide participants through the foundations of acting using the four natural elements—earth, water, fire, and air. Each element represents a different energy, rhythm, and emotional quality. Participants will learn how to incorporate these elements into their body movement to create clearer expression, stronger storytelling, and more dynamic stage presence. The workshop is fully visual, interactive, and accessible for all skill levels. It encourages creativity, confidence, and a deeper connection to physical expression.

In recent years, there has been a decline in Deaf Canadian women’s participation in sports due to the many challenging aspects that Deaf women face. Deaf women face limited access to funding, a lack of media coverage and activity, fewer competitive opportunities, and cultural pressure that prevents them from continuing participation in sports. There are ways that we can change the decline to an incline and increase the growth of Deaf women in sports, and increase participation. Strengthening funding, increasing competitive opportunities, and building community/cultural support can foster this change. To do so, we must raise awareness around ableism and sexism within the sports industry and call upon our community and government to make a difference.

MFSM offers you a powerful and meaningful tool: the connection between the inner child and the woman you are today. This process allows buried memories to resurface and invites reflection on essential moments that may have been softened or hidden by time. By reconnecting with this intimate and authentic part of yourself, you gain access to a deep source of strength, power, and light. The inner child embodies spontaneous joy, creativity, sensitivity, and the ability to feel wonder. The woman of today carries maturity, determination, intuition, and the wisdom gained through lived experience. When these two dimensions meet and unite, they awaken the luminous young girl within you while revealing the light warrior you have become. This connection represents a true path of inner transformation: it rekindles vital energy, restores self‑confidence, and allows you to move forward with clarity and serenity. Through this tool, MFSM accompanies you in rediscovering your purest essence and embracing your inner power.

What is Smudging? 

Smudging is a traditional Indigenous ceremony that has been passed down through generations by many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. Sacred Medicines such as sage, sweetgrass, cedar, or tobacco, are gently burned, and the smoke is used to help cleanse the mind, body, and spirit. Many people also use smudging to offer prayers, set positive intentions, or prepare for gatherings and ceremonies.

Each morning of the conference, participants are invited to join an optional smudging ceremony and sharing circle. 

This is a time to come together, reflect, and connect with one another, and begin the day in a good way. Everyone is welcome, whether you have participated in a smudging ceremony before or if it is your first time.

Participation is always optional. If you choose not to smudge, you are still warmly welcome to attend, observe, or simply enjoy the space with us.

Check in, collect your badges, and sign up for the events during the week!

Stephanie Jebb shares her journey as a Deaf Indigenous woman navigating the worlds of culture, ceremony, and community. Drawing from her own experiences as a mother, community helper, and someone reconnecting with her roots, she explores how Indigenous teachings, ceremony, and cultural practices foster healing, identity, belonging and resilience.

Stephanie reflects on the challenges that many Deaf Indigenous people face, such as isolation, discrimination, and limited access to culturally grounded supports, and highlights the strength that comes from returning to ceremony, language, storytelling, and intergenerational knowledge. She emphasizes how reconnecting with culture and tradition empowers Deaf women to embrace their layered identities and walk with confidence and pride.

Through stories, reflection, and lived experience, Stephanie celebrates the transformative power of culture and ceremony in building wellness, belonging, and emotional balance.

This focus group session will gather insights from Deaf women and gender-diverse people to inform the development of accessible sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights, access, and communication resources. Discussions will explore barriers to services, key rights issues, and the knowledge and supports most important to the Deaf community. Facilitated by Jill Fage, Sammi Hatfield, Leanne Gallant.

In the presentation, I will share my PhD research on how Deaf signers learn, understand and express climate science knowledge. Many factors influence this process, including language access, education quality, limited climate signs, and other forms of oppression. As a result, Deaf people are at higher risk of being impacted by the climate crisis, with those who are also Indigenous, racialized, and/or women experiencing severe impacts. 

As a part of my research, Deaf signers participated in my climate science workshops where they explored the science of wildfires and climate change through ASL and visual-tactile strategies. They also had the opportunity to connect the knowledge to their personal and community stories. 

I will then discuss what I have learned so far and highlight areas that still need more work. Attendees will gain a stronger understanding of visual-tactile and communication strategies that support learning, knowledge sharing, and collective action. 

The session emphasizes empowerment, resilience, and community building by showing how sign languages strengthen Deaf communities’ ability to respond to the climate crisis.

Courage vs Comfort is a powerful session centered on how Deaf women in Canada can build healthier, safer, and more accountable relationships across racial and cultural identities. Through the lens of my lived experience as a Black Deaf woman, this presentation examines how colonialism, systemic racism, and social conditioning shape the dynamics between IBPOC Deaf women and Deaf white women. 

These dynamics often create spaces where IBPOC women must navigate fear, exclusion, or silence, while others may remain protected by comfort, fragility or defensiveness. This session invites attendees to reflect on how privilege, emotional reactions, and unspoken power structures influence interactions in Deaf communities. 

Through storytelling, guided reflection, and practical activities, participants will learn how courage, empathy, and accountability can replace avoidance and discomfort. 

Key takeaways include: 

— Recognizing comfort privilege and its impact

— Understanding how colonial systems affect communication and safety 

— Strategies for building braver, culturally safe spaces 

— Tools for cross-racial dialogue and conflict navigation 

Alligned with the AWE theme, this session empower Deaf women of the all backgrounds to step into stronger leadership, deepen mutual respect, and build communities rooted in truth, care, and collective empowerment.

What is Smudging? 

Smudging is a traditional Indigenous ceremony that has been passed down through generations by many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. Sacred Medicines such as sage, sweetgrass, cedar, or tobacco, are gently burned, and the smoke is used to help cleanse the mind, body, and spirit. Many people also use smudging to offer prayers, set positive intentions, or prepare for gatherings and ceremonies.

Each morning of the conference, participants are invited to join an optional smudging ceremony and sharing circle. 

This is a time to come together, reflect, and connect with one another, and begin the day in a good way. Everyone is welcome, whether you have participated in a smudging ceremony before or if it is your first time.

Participation is always optional. If you choose not to smudge, you are still warmly welcome to attend, observe, or simply enjoy the space with us.

Check in, collect your badges, and sign up for the events during the week!

You may already have a Disability Tax Credit or Registered Disability Savings Plan—but are you making the most of it? Many Canadians miss valuable opportunities simply because they don’t fully understand how these programs work together. Join Ayana Alipio, Babylyn Pownall and Shannon Liznick as they break down the strategies, benefits, and planning opportunities behind the DTC and RDSP. This session will highlight practical ways to maximize government incentives, avoid common pitfalls, and strengthen long-term financial security for yourself and your family. 

France Boulanger is a Deaf woman and a service dog user for Deaf individuals. Through her life journey, she raises awareness about safety, independence, and the realities of Deaf people. Her personal and inspiring testimony highlights the importance of service dogs in everyday life.