Purple and Blue Lights Unite Communities Across Canada to celebrate Disability Inclusion

Landmarks, workplaces and communities across Canada will light up on October 15 for disability inclusion in employment

WHITBY, Ontario, Oct. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From the CN Tower in Toronto to the NWT Legislative Assembly Dome in Yellowknife, communities across Canada will light up purple and blue on Thursday, October 15 for Light It Up! For NDEAM™, a national event celebrating disability inclusion in employment and the contributions of people who have a disability in our communities.

Now in its seventh year, Light It Up! For NDEAM™ will bring together more than 450 landmarks, buildings and businesses in 115 communities across the country. City halls, bridges, businesses, stadiums and local landmarks will add their lights to a national show of support for disability inclusion in workplaces and communities.

Light It Up! For NDEAM™ is powerful because every community becomes part of the story,” says Amy Widdows, CEO of the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN), which leads the national initiative. “A purple and blue city hall, storefront or landmark is a reminder that disability inclusion matters here, in our workplaces and in the communities, we call home.”

Governments, businesses, municipalities, and community organizations are once again taking part, which includes 17 provincial buildings that will be illuminated by the Government of Ontario.

Landmarks and community spaces from coast to coast to coast will glow purple and blue, including:

• CN Tower (Toronto, ON)
• Vancouver Convention Centre (Vancouver, BC)
• Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (Victoria, BC)
• NWT Legislative Assembly Dome (Yellowknife, NWT)
• Esplanade Riel Footbridge (Winnipeg, MB)
• Prairie Winds Monument (Saskatoon, SK)
• Canada Life Buildings (Toronto and London, ON)
• Montréal Science Center (Montreal, QC)
• Shaw Building (Charlottetown, PEI)
• Confederation Building (St. John’s, NL)

Light It Up! For NDEAM™ is part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), celebrated each October across Canada. This year’s theme, Skills Grow Economies. Disability Inclusion Fuels the Growth, shines a light on the skills and talent of people who have a disability and their contributions to Canada’s workforce and economy.

“People who have a disability are part of every community in Canada, bringing skills, experience and ideas to our workplaces and local economies,” says Widdows. “When we light up together on October 15, we are showing that disability inclusion is part of how strong communities and strong economies grow.”

Canadians can join Light It Up! For NDEAM™ on October 15 by visiting participating landmarks, sharing photos on social media and using #LightItUpForNDEAM and #SkillsGrowEconomies. Organizations and communities can still register their locations here.

Light It Up! For NDEAM™ was launched by ODEN in 2020 in collaboration with the Canadian Association for Supported Employment, MentorAbility Canada, Jobs Ability Canada, and provincial, regional and community-based organizations. Today, communities across Canada continue to light up together each October, making disability inclusion visible from one community to the next.

For more information, and to arrange interviews, contact:

Pawrnaa Perinpanayagam, Communications Strategist, ODEN pperinpanayagam@odenetwork.com 1-866-280-6336 ext.118

ABOUT ODEN: The Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN), created in 2008, is a professional body of more than 140 employment service providers united to increase employment opportunities for people who have a disability. Members are from every corner of the province and support people of all disability types. Beyond Ontario, ODEN (odenetwork.com) has connections with organizations in all provinces and territories of Canada. Light It Up! For NDEAM™ is a trademark of the Ontario Disability Employment Network.