Amplify Speakers
Disability & Paralympic Keynote Speakers
Disability inclusion is not a once-a-year topic. These speakers are booked for leadership conferences, healthcare events, HR summits and all-staff meetings throughout the year, because their message is about how people and organizations perform.
The disability and Paralympic keynote speakers on the Amplify Speakers roster are Amy Purdy, Steve Boorstein, Amberly Lago and Valeriya Hjertenaes. Each speaks from lived experience of disability, injury or neurodivergence, and connects it to inclusion, resilience and how work gets done.
Planning an event for National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October? See our disability employment awareness month speakers page for planning tips specific to that observance.
The Roster
Matching the Speaker to the Message
Paralympic sport and adaptive innovation. Amy Purdy lost both legs below the knee at 19 and went on to become a three-time Paralympic medalist and one of the most decorated adaptive snowboarders in Team USA history. With her husband she co-founded Adaptive Action Sports, a nonprofit that introduces youth, young adults and wounded veterans with disabilities to action sports.
Invisible disability and rebuilding a career. Steve Boorstein, author of Different Strokes, has lived nearly two decades as a stroke survivor and had to relearn how to read a book and tie a shoe. His topics include disability inclusion, caregiving and patient experience. Amberly Lago, a USA Today bestselling author, speaks from 34 surgeries, chronic pain and near amputation.
Neurodiversity as a leadership advantage. Valeriya Hjertenaes is a PhD-level expert in neurodiversity and sustainable leadership and a neurodivergent leader with lived experience of OCD. Her program Neurodiversity as a Leadership Advantage shows organizations how to unlock cognitive diversity for performance.
Before you book
Tell us whether your goal is inspiration, inclusive leadership practice or a specific audience such as clinicians, HR teams or employee resource groups. Each points to a different speaker.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who are the best Paralympic speakers?
On the Amplify roster, Amy Purdy is a three-time Paralympic medalist and one of the most decorated adaptive snowboarders in Team USA history. She is also a New York Times bestselling author.
Do these speakers cover neurodiversity as well as physical disability?
Yes. Valeriya Hjertenaes, a neurodivergent leader with a PhD-level focus on neurodiversity, speaks on cognitive diversity as a leadership advantage.
Are disability keynotes only for inclusion events?
No. These speakers are booked for leadership conferences, healthcare events, sales meetings and all-staff gatherings, because their messages cover resilience, adaptability and performance.
What is the difference between this page and your NDEAM page?
This page is for any time of year. Our disability employment awareness month speakers page focuses on planning for October's observance.
Can a speaker work with our employee resource group as well?
Many offer smaller sessions alongside a keynote. Tell us what you have in mind and we will confirm options.
BROWSE MORE SPEAKERS BY TOPIC
Disability Employment Awareness Month | Health Survivor Speakers | Olympic Speakers | DEI & Inclusion | Belonging & Being Seen at Work | Resilience Speakers | All Topics
Looking for a disability or Paralympic speaker?
Tell us about your event and your audience. We will match a speaker with lived experience, usually within one business day.