Yat Li
Yat conquered adversity and immense obstacles in life, living without ears and hearing.
He was often at the forefront of teasing and the center point of microaggression at school. In the workplace, Yat was part of organizations that did not prioritize inclusion. With a bleak future, his feelings of isolation and hopelessness led him to think that this world was not meant for him.
After years of persevering through daily challenges, Yat discovered that self-disclosure unlocked a world of possibilities.
Today Yat is an accessibility and inclusion advocate who travels the world, speaking to thousands of senior leaders about the importance of diversity and inclusivity. He touches thousands of lives through his compelling and inspirational keynote presentations.
Speaking topics
- Deaf to Employment: Building an Inclusive Workplace
Attitudinal barriers in the workplace are often rooted in prejudice, stereotypes and stigmas that prevent growth and hinder the full potential of talent within your business. In this transformative session, you’ll gain insights and actionable takeaways to tap into the tangible business and social benefits of collecting and sharing disability data. The session will inspire you to take the next steps to use tools to combat stigma in the workplace and implement positive changes to promote allyship, trust, and retention.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify how to build competitive advantage through inclusivity
- Recognize ways to build an inclusive organizational culture and remove barriers for people with disabilities
- Gain tools to combat stigma and increase employee satisfaction
- Implement steps to tap into people with disabilities as a valuable talent pool
- Breaking Barriers: Overcoming Attitudinal Obstacles in the Workplace
In today’s interconnected world, attitudes are pivotal in shaping workplace culture. Negative attitudes, biases and stereotypes can be a barrier to collaboration. It can even stifle innovation which in turn creates a toxic work culture.
In this presentation, Yat brings together his work as an accessibility professional to dismantle workplace barriers to unlock the potential of cross-functional teams and individuals.
Yat highlights steps organizations can transform their workplace into thriving and inclusive environments:
- Impactful lived experience about the power of attitudes
- Identifying attitudinal barriers
- Building trust and allyship
- Embracing diversity and inclusion
- Let’s Embrace Diversity: A Journey into Accessibility
In today’s society, diversity is a pathway to enhancing workplace productivity, leading to better results. There’s business evidence. Similarly, embracing accessibility is not just about compliance. Instead, it recognizes the individual’s value and worth in society.
Yat highlights steps organizations can embark on to break barriers and create an accessible environment that’s inclusive and welcoming:
- Discover inclusive practices that work
- Understand current accessibility challenges
- Creating an inclusive environment
- Include the disability community
- Learn to build empathy
Video clips
Speaker testimonials
Yat did an incredible job today. We were so, so pleased with the presentation, and we hope he enjoyed giving the keynote. A few of the presentations following his did impromptu call-backs to his presentation, because it resonated so well. Thank you Yat!
I first saw Yat on a webinar and was immediately intrigued by his calm presence and sense of humour. While sharing his deep personal story, he managed to keep it positive and inspiring. He immediately made me want to help raise awareness for these matters that are less talked about, especially in the Tourism & Hospitality Industry, and so I scheduled a meeting with him. Yat was so easy to talk to and was welcoming to my lack of knowledge in the DEI world. He is kind, communicative, and patient. He presented a fabulous session at the Vancouver Island Tourism Conference. I love how he keeps it simple and starts with the small steps that businesses can take to tap into. Yat’s presentations are inclusive beyond words, and he doesn’t make you feel bad for not knowing some of these important facts, but rather acts as a friend in assisting you to get up to speed. I would highly recommend Yat to speak at any kind of event, as the matters he speaks on should apply to every single business and workplace!
Having been absolutely blown away by Yat’s engaging presentation “Measuring Inclusion for SMES” at a National conference a few months ago, I was absolutely honoured and excited to have him as our featured speaker at the East Kootenay Online Career Fair and Job fair. Yat created a riveting presentation “Breaking Barriers – Deaf to Employment” specific for our target audience, where he not only dismantled myths around hiring individuals with disabilities and challenged employers to rethink their current hiring practices but also shared profound insight into the empowerment of self- disclosure for persons with diverse abilities. Yat is an extremely engaging speaker, who is incredibly knowledgeable on accessibility and best inclusive practices. His mix of lived and professional experience, combined with his captivating presentation style is truly inspiring.