Women Inspiring Women - Meet Wanda Deschamps!
Alicia Fowler CPA, CA, MPAcc
| MOD Accounting & Tax PC | cloud accounting & tax CPA firm | coast-coast-coast | feminist | supporting purpose-driven entrepreneurs and social enterprise | collaborator and team builder | Treaty 6 |
Today I introduce you to Wanda Deschamps, founder and principal of Liberty Co – a consultancy focused on increasing the participation level of the neurodiverse population in the workforce with a special emphasis on autism due to Wanda’s own diagnosis at midlife.
I had the honour of listening to Wanda speak during the #BuildupWomenSeries hosted by Sowmya Rajasekaran in January on the Power of Allyship. The conversation was amazing and Wanda invited us to learn more about being better allies to neurodiverse colleagues in the workplace. Neurodiversity in the workplace, until chatting with Wanda, was not something that had been on my radar in the context of allyship - Wanda encouraged me to learn more about how to be better ally.
Wanda is super cool. She's a mom, she's a professional, she's uber open-minded and reflective. I love following her on social media where she is always encouraging allyship in all its forms. She reminds me that there is so much to learn and that supporting women continues to be an important piece of corporate responsibility. Thank you Wanda!
A champion for inclusion, she enjoys writing and speaking under the banner of the #InclusionRevolution, a worldwide movement launched in 2018 to spearhead broader thinking about disability – especially disability employment. Wanda is also the catalyst behind the #Women4Women collective focused on gender equality through supporting other women.?
Based with her family in Waterloo, she relishes time with family and friends, following the Pittsburgh Penguins, exercising, and reading biographies, as well as books about history and current affairs. One?avenue that allows her to indulge her love of learning is as a member of?The Charity Report’s Literary Circle Review Panel
Welcome Wanda!!!
1. Tell me about you and the work you do!
?I am an openly autistic entrepreneur, and the name of my firm is Liberty Co. The focus is on increasing the participation level of the neurodiverse population in the workforce with a special emphasis on autism due to my own diagnosis at midlife. I am also the catalyst behind the #Women4Women collective focused on gender equality through supporting other women.
2.???????What do you love most about the work you do?
?Increasing awareness about neurodiversity as a dimension of overall diversity and specifically the opportunities to recruit and retain neurodiverse talent across all levels of organizations from the board room to the c-suite to the office cubicle.?
?3.???????How does the work you do impact?women?in your community?
?By bringing awareness to the challenges of disabled women, neurodiverse women, and autistic women as well as the opportunities to bring us into fuller participation in the workforce, including at the leadership level and as entrepreneurs.
?The response to #Women4Women encourages me to believe?that we will indeed see gender equality sooner if women support each other.
?4.???How has living through the pandemic this past?year and a half shaped you?
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?It has further motivated me to advance Liberty Co's mission. The need for positive change for persons with disabilities - especially around employment options - was there pre-COVID; however, inequities spotlighted during the pandemic have helped create a sense of urgency that was not understood before.?
?Also, I benefited from so many learning opportunities that I might not have been able to access if it were not for the virtual world. (For example, I have heard Hilary Clinton speak twice!) These talks, sessions and workshops have really opened my mind, challenged my thinking, and made me even more driven to help bring forward positive change.
?5.???????Who are the?women?that you draw inspiration from?
?A few are Anita Hill, Scout Bassett, Caroline Casey, Carla Qualtrough, Wendy Cukier, Beverley McLachlin, my friend Cheyanne Desnomie.
?6.???????What are you up to these days? Where can we find you?
Upcoming speaking engagement on October 14:
?My story from Reader's Digest?
?Recent StartUpCanada's StartUpWomen podcast interview?
?Resources available online that highlight my work
If you are looking to build your capacity to hire and retain neurodiverse talent, I highly recommend connecting with Wanda. She is hella smart and committed to researching and implementing supports for neurodiverse people in the workplace.
Thank you for sharing so openly Wanda!
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3 年This is so amazing! We have several neurodiverse members in our family and being a great ally is exactly what I work hard to be.
Very interesting! ????