About our Keynote Speaker
For 15 years, Elisa Hays served as the Founder and Chief Daydreamer of an award-winning entertainment company that strengthened confidence in the value of creativity for over 30,000 children a year. She also invented and has international patents for Sudsy’s Barn™️, the world’s only play-based hand-washing system. Her company presented at fairs, festivals, arenas, and concert venues across North America and halfway around the globe. In her own words she, “served on boards, won awards, and drove big Fords!” Until her really bad day.
In 2014, after jackknifing a truck and trailer on a two-lane Oklahoma highway during an ice-storm and safely evacuating two of her staff in the face of oncoming traffic, an eighteen-wheeler semi-truck cruising at sixty-five miles-per-hour hit Elisa’s body outside of a vehicle. Surviving catastrophic injuries took seven hospitals in four states spanning the continent and her brother’s kidney. Learning to thrive took quite a bit more.
Married for thirty years, Elisa is mom to three kids and one co-dependent dog. Together they have risen above the trauma of their experiences. These days, Elisa speaks and consults for organizations on disability inclusion, leadership, and resilience. As a 30-year professional performer, a Certified ADA Coordinator, an ordained minister, and a hospital chaplain, she captivates audiences with her unique blend of authenticity, storytelling, wisdom, and humor. In the ten years since her near-fatal accident, Elisa has designed her family's wheelchair-accessible house, published a book, become an enthusiastic novice sit-skier, mastered the art of traveling while disabled, and dedicated her life to helping others thrive amidst disabling circumstances.