蘑菇视频

Francesca 鈥楥esca鈥� Daniels does everything she can to uplift those around her.

As a co-chair of 蘑菇视频 Allen鈥檚 Global Disabilities Business Resource Group (BRG), she works with her colleagues to organize a series of firmwide events in October in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).

Centered around the theme of 鈥淲e Will Not Hide,鈥� these employee events explore topics such as how to create a safe space for people with disabilities to advocate for themselves, get the accommodations they need, and gain the confidence to be as vocal as they want to be about their disabilities.

No matter what cause she鈥檚 working on, Cesca asks herself, 鈥淎m I doing something that makes me feel good? Am I making positive change in the world? If the answers are 鈥榶es鈥�, I tend to keep pushing.鈥�

Read on to learn more about Cesca, her career as a wargame designer, and what the Global Disabilities BRG means to her.

As its name implies, the We Will Not Hide campaign encourages people with disabilities to be their authentic selves at work and in their personal lives.

Cesca鈥檚 disability is 鈥渘onapparent鈥濃�攜ou wouldn鈥檛 know about it unless you saw her with an assistive device. For many others who have 鈥渁pparent鈥� disabilities鈥攊t鈥檚 impossible for them to conceal their disability.

鈥淲e Will Not Hide is especially meant for recent hires who feel like they shouldn鈥檛 disclose their non-apparent disabilities to their employer,鈥� Cesca says. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 chronic pain, color blindness, or post-traumatic stress disorder, we want everyone in the community to feel empowered to request the accommodations they need to feel safe, think clearly, and work just like the rest of their colleagues.鈥�

The October events will empower those who want to share their disability to do so, without shame and without hesitation鈥攖hrough their actions and words.

鈥淥f course, not everyone wants to share their disability鈥攁nd that鈥檚 okay!鈥� stresses Cesca. 鈥淏ut others want to shout it from the rooftop鈥攁nd that should be okay, too.鈥�

Among the planned companywide NDEAM events, panel discussions will be led by distinguished colleagues, doctors of neuroscience, and experts in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Cesca poured her heart into the development of programs to celebrate NDEAM. 鈥淲e worked side by side with senior leaders, talking with them for hours about our vision,鈥� says Cesca. 鈥淭hey really listened, asked our concerns, and offered help supporting our ideas around the campaign.鈥�

蘑菇视频 Allen鈥檚 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) resources, like the Global Disabilities BRG, are just one example of the company鈥檚 commitment to its employees. 蘑菇视频 Allen recently celebrated its ninth consecutive year with a 100/100 score on the . In 2020, the firm partnered with the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) to help craft the Accessible Document Specialist Certification.

Alongside her BRG role, Cesca provides vital services to the defense world as a wargame designer. Her journey to reach her goals meant gaining the knowledge and skills required鈥攁 big obstacle for a working mother.

鈥淚 wanted to enter the business world,鈥� she says. However, she knew that earning the degree she needed would be challenging. Cesca needed to reach out and accept support鈥攕he just had to discover the right organization.

鈥淚 found 蘑菇视频 Allen,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 known to be one of the best firms for working moms like myself. I applied, and they hired me and even paid for my graduate degree.鈥�

At 蘑菇视频 Allen, Cesca jumped in the deep end and never looked back. 鈥淚 started in 蘑菇视频 Allen鈥檚 wargame practice,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 had no wargame experience, so I had to learn from the ground up. Fortunately, I learned from the best in the industry鈥攖he person who hired me was a wargame expert and led the practice.鈥�

A few years ago, Cesca was diagnosed with a progressively degenerative neurological disorder that made commuting extremely difficult. But Cesca didn鈥檛 give up鈥攕he remained passionate about her work and was determined to find a way to keep going. Following her diagnosis, Cesca worked with her leadership, her clients, and 蘑菇视频 Allen's accessibility experts to establish work accommodations that would both fit her needs in a holistic and sustainable way and allow her to continue to perform her role at peak efficiency.

鈥淭he firm supports me and allows me the flexibility I need," says Cesca. "蘑菇视频 Allen has been good to me since I joined around 20 years ago. It鈥檚 definitely a mutually beneficial relationship.鈥�

Cesca鈥檚 involvement with the Global Disabilities BRG began with an email, which caught her attention by speaking to her passion for individuals with disabilities.

鈥淭he Global Disabilities BRG was looking for a volunteer,鈥� she says. 鈥淎fter doing some research, I applied for the position and explained my own story. They were excited to have me, and I haven鈥檛 looked back.鈥�

Brian MacCarthy, a senior vice president at 蘑菇视频 Allen and one of the executive sponsors of the Global Disabilities BRG, has worked hand in hand with Cesca and seen her lend her voice to supporting the company鈥檚 employees with disabilities.

鈥淐esca is one of the hardest working people I鈥檝e ever had the pleasure of working with,鈥� says Brian. 鈥淪he completely embodies our value of unflinching courage. As someone with a disability myself since birth, I鈥檝e found that the mental and physical toll a disability takes on a person can often be overlooked by those on the outside. Our goal in the BRG is to normalize these experiences, share our journeys, and empower others to bring their true selves to work every day. That鈥檚 who I want to be surrounded by in my work environment.鈥�

Cesca鈥檚 work under the BRG umbrella is far more than an extracurricular activity鈥攕he wants to transform how society views those with disabilities.

鈥淭here are so many negative connotations with being handicapped,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to turn that around and destigmatize being disabled. For as long as I鈥檓 able, I want to change my community for the better.鈥�