“Disability Made for Business”– SC’s only conference focused on disability employment and workforce development coming this October
August 18, 2026
2026 Employer Summit approved for nationally transferable HRCI and SHRM credits
Able South Carolina and Hire Me SC are set to host the 11th annual Employer Summit, scheduled during National Disability Employment Awareness Month, on Wednesday, October 7, from 10 am to 3 pm. The event will be held at Dominion Energy’s VC Summer Nuclear Learning Center in Jenkinsville, SC.
The Employer Summit is a one-day conference for business managers, executives, HR professionals, and service providers who are ready to strengthen their workforce and the economy by including people with disabilities. The summit will host two tracks: one for employers and one for disability service providers. Employers and providers will come together over lunch, followed by an interactive keynote and vendor session. Attendees who complete the sessions will receive 2.5 hours of nationally transferable SHRM and HRCI credits. 
Employers will delve into topics such as HR Mythbusting, featuring two distinct business models– a small-scale manufacturer (Beyond Distilling Co.) and a large-scale financial institution (AgFirst). The business leaders will demonstrate how inclusive hiring is a viable, high-return-on-investment strategy regardless of company size and services. Employers will also explore real-world examples of how reasonable accommodations can strengthen their company by reducing risk, supporting consistent decision-making, and strengthening workplace culture, as presented by Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd Law Firm.
Through a conversation featuring the Director of the SC Department of Employment and Workforce, disability service providers will review how, when local service providers work together, they can maximize their collective impact to help their clients find meaningful employment. Then, representatives from Clemson University will show how the smartphones we carry every day can serve as assistants to help providers’ disabled clients achieve workplace success.
The afternoon of the Employer Summit will feature interactive sessions designed to maximize attendee engagement and leave them with practical tools to apply their new knowledge and skills. A new “exhibitor deep dive” session will give attendees a fast-paced, gamified chance to map local resources, with a prize on the line for the sharpest audience member. This is following the keynote session of the day, “Kickin’ it with Kimberly: Insights from Business Leaders.” The conversation will mimic the no-nonsense style of the monthly blog series of the same moniker written by Able SC CEO Kimberly Tissot. Together with Sam Slagle of Dominion Energy, the two will discuss the benefits of disability-inclusive employment, successes and challenges, and practical approaches to building lasting partnerships that balance performance, culture, and opportunity.
Sponsorship opportunities to support the event and the efforts of the event organizer, Able South Carolina, are available. Sponsors receive perks, including recognition and tickets to attend. Register, sponsor, and learn about becoming an exhibitor/vendor at hiremesc.org/employer-summit.
ABOUT ABLE SOUTH CAROLINA
Able SC is a disability-led organization seeking transformational changes in systems, communities, and individuals. Since 1994, we’ve remained a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability nonprofit that seeks to make South Carolina a national model of equity and inclusion for all people with disabilities. To learn more about Able SC’s programs and services, please visit www.able-sc.org.
ABOUT HIRE ME SC
People with disabilities can work, want to work, and should be afforded every opportunity to work. Powered by Able South Carolina and the South Carolina Disability Employment Coalition (SCDEC, a coalition formed to eliminate employment barriers for individuals with disabilities), Hire Me SC is a campaign that promotes a culture of inclusion across the state of South Carolina, one in which employment for every individual, disability or not, is the norm rather than the exception. Learn more at http://www.hiremesc.org.
