Media
LSO 2023 Award Presentation - Volunteer Award - Wanda Deschamps
AutiTalks Episode 4 Wanda Deschamps
Wanda shares her journey as an autistic woman diagnosed late in life and discusses a number of topics such as inclusion at work.
Wanda Deschamps | Accessibility & increasing neurodiverse participation at work
The UWIRadio/Podcast
URL: https://youtu.be/L5LkOfyHFBg?si=36Yo5MAt5h3ScGyt
Talking about why accessibility needs to be included in DE&I, the need for representation of women with autism, and how neurodiversity efforts benefit everyone in the process.
‘I was diagnosed at 46’: Waterloo mom calls late autism diagnosis a relief
Working Toward Neurodiversity Inclusion
International Foundation of Employee Benefit PlansOnline
URL: https://libertyco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023-09-Article-Working-Toward-Neurodiversity-Inclusion.pdf
Amidst skill shortages across many industries, employers face a demographic shift with an increased number of neurodiverse candidates entering the workforce. The author explores how organizations can build a "neuro-equal" workplace to support the drive and innovation of employees with cognitive differences.
I Was 46 When I Discovered I Was Autistic. Suddenly My Life Made Sense
Reader's Digest CanadaOnline
URL: https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/conditions/mid-life-autism-diagnosis/
I learned I had autism at 46. I now understand myself.
BroadviewOnline
Entrepreneurship, Neurodiversity and Gender
by Dinah Bennett/Yolanda Gibb
Mention of Wanda in pg 13 of introduction
The State of Women's Entrepreneurship in Canada 2023
Published by Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub
Mention of Liberty Co on page 68
URL: https://wekh.ca/research/the-state-of-womens-entrepreneurship-in-canada-2023/
Biography
Wanda Deschamps is the founder and principal of Liberty Co - a consultancy focused on increasing neurodiverse employment - with a special emphasis on autism due to her own diagnosis at midlife. Her approach is centered on the IDEA (Inclusion-Diversity-Equity-Accessibility) framework and highlights inclusive leadership, entrepreneurial thinking and employee retention. Her story of undiagnosed autism has appeared in Broadview Magazine, Reader's Digest Canada and the USA, and The Globe and Mail. Deschamps gives back to industry, community and the academy in various ways and was recognized as the 2023 Life Sciences Ontario volunteer of the year.