Empowering Disability Inclusion: Cassie Ross's Advocacy at Henkel
At Henkel North America, our shared mission unites us: to be pioneers for the benefit of future generations. This pioneering spirit embodies the varied backgrounds, experiences, and talents of our employees and partners, who are committed to making a difference in the world. Together, we tackle challenges, seek solutions, and explore new perspectives.
Their efforts enable us to offer products, services, and innovations that enhance and improve daily life. We invite you to learn more about our pioneers in the “Pioneers for Good” series.
Introducing Cassie
Cassie Ross serves as a Senior Customer Marketing Manager for Henkel Consumer Brands, but her most significant role is as a mother to a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Each day, she ensures her son feels happy, healthy, and loved while advocating for disability awareness and inclusion in every aspect of her life, including her professional environment.
Cassie’s personal journey informs her approach to her work and advocacy.
"For those living with disabilities, it’s an ongoing conversation. Wherever possible, I strive to raise awareness about the importance of inclusion for everyone."
Navigating the Unknown with Compassion
While Cassie has always expected challenges, nothing could fully prepare her for life-altering moments. For her, that moment came when her son, then four years old, was diagnosed with nonspeaking autism. Cassie quickly recognized this as her call to advocacy.
"My husband and I felt utterly lost,” she recalls of the years leading up to her son’s diagnosis. “I struggled for almost two years, searching for any information that could help him communicate and deciding how our family would navigate his diagnosis during the pandemic."
Cassie enrolled her son in the Sunshine School & Development Center, which provides various services for children with disabilities. She believed it was the right environment for her son to thrive, not realizing it would also become a nurturing space for her advocacy efforts, inspiring her to push for disability awareness and inclusion in her workplace.
Charting a Path of Support for Families
Currently, Cassie is a Board Member at Sunshine School & Development Center. "I’ve made it my personal mission to ensure that no other family I encounter feels as lost as we did during those early years." With support from Henkel, she has advanced her mission through two grants from the Make An Impact on Tomorrow (MIT) initiative, which have funded playground equipment for the school.
In addition, Cassie serves as Vice President and Board Member of Autism Involves Me (AIM), a local organization dedicated to empowering individuals with autism and their families. In this capacity, she leverages her business expertise to help the organization build long-term sustainability.
Her work with AIM and Sunshine School & Development Center allows Cassie to connect with others impacted by disabilities. At AIM’s annual AIM Fest in September, she recognized a mother experiencing similar struggles to her own family’s.
"I embraced her, and we both began to cry. It reassured me, ‘This is why I’m here.’”
Transforming a Challenge into a Triumph
Cassie’s experiences as a mother to a child with autism have fueled her dedication to fostering disability awareness and inclusion in the workplace. She collaborated with colleagues Angie Parker and Patricia Tucker to establish an employee resource group (ERG) focused on this cause.
The Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities (AVID) ERG aims to create a supportive and inclusive environment for employees with disabilities and those caring for family members with disabilities. Cassie values the collaborative spirit and the opportunity to connect with Henkel colleagues from different departments who share similar goals.
"It’s amazing to unite people from various parts of the company with common objectives. The AVID ERG has created a network of Henkel employees worldwide who work together to promote disability awareness and inclusion in the workplace, community, and product design."
Cassie appreciates the strong support from AVID’s executive sponsor, Robert McNamee. “He actively participates in every call and is genuinely involved in our work. Our entire executive leadership team is committed – they’re right there with us.”
Promoting an Accommodating and Respectful Workplace
Whether at home, in the office, or in the community, Cassie embodies empathy, compassion, and understanding. She aims to cultivate a more inclusive workplace culture for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers, benefiting today’s workforce and future generations.
"I want my son to enter a workforce with career paths for people with disabilities and accessible environments where they can thrive." Cassie takes pride in working for an organization that is progressing in this area; Henkel was recently recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by Disability: IN and The American Association of People with Disabilities.
Ultimately, Cassie’s message about being a pioneer for the good of future generations is straightforward:
"Practice kindness. Everyone is facing their own struggles. Take the time to understand your coworkers and how you can support them."
Their efforts enable us to offer products, services, and innovations that enhance and improve daily life. We invite you to learn more about our pioneers in the “Pioneers for Good” series.
Introducing Cassie
Cassie Ross serves as a Senior Customer Marketing Manager for Henkel Consumer Brands, but her most significant role is as a mother to a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Each day, she ensures her son feels happy, healthy, and loved while advocating for disability awareness and inclusion in every aspect of her life, including her professional environment.
Cassie’s personal journey informs her approach to her work and advocacy.
"For those living with disabilities, it’s an ongoing conversation. Wherever possible, I strive to raise awareness about the importance of inclusion for everyone."
Navigating the Unknown with Compassion
While Cassie has always expected challenges, nothing could fully prepare her for life-altering moments. For her, that moment came when her son, then four years old, was diagnosed with nonspeaking autism. Cassie quickly recognized this as her call to advocacy.
"My husband and I felt utterly lost,” she recalls of the years leading up to her son’s diagnosis. “I struggled for almost two years, searching for any information that could help him communicate and deciding how our family would navigate his diagnosis during the pandemic."
Cassie enrolled her son in the Sunshine School & Development Center, which provides various services for children with disabilities. She believed it was the right environment for her son to thrive, not realizing it would also become a nurturing space for her advocacy efforts, inspiring her to push for disability awareness and inclusion in her workplace.
Charting a Path of Support for Families
Currently, Cassie is a Board Member at Sunshine School & Development Center. "I’ve made it my personal mission to ensure that no other family I encounter feels as lost as we did during those early years." With support from Henkel, she has advanced her mission through two grants from the Make An Impact on Tomorrow (MIT) initiative, which have funded playground equipment for the school.
In addition, Cassie serves as Vice President and Board Member of Autism Involves Me (AIM), a local organization dedicated to empowering individuals with autism and their families. In this capacity, she leverages her business expertise to help the organization build long-term sustainability.
Her work with AIM and Sunshine School & Development Center allows Cassie to connect with others impacted by disabilities. At AIM’s annual AIM Fest in September, she recognized a mother experiencing similar struggles to her own family’s.
"I embraced her, and we both began to cry. It reassured me, ‘This is why I’m here.’”
Transforming a Challenge into a Triumph
Cassie’s experiences as a mother to a child with autism have fueled her dedication to fostering disability awareness and inclusion in the workplace. She collaborated with colleagues Angie Parker and Patricia Tucker to establish an employee resource group (ERG) focused on this cause.
The Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities (AVID) ERG aims to create a supportive and inclusive environment for employees with disabilities and those caring for family members with disabilities. Cassie values the collaborative spirit and the opportunity to connect with Henkel colleagues from different departments who share similar goals.
"It’s amazing to unite people from various parts of the company with common objectives. The AVID ERG has created a network of Henkel employees worldwide who work together to promote disability awareness and inclusion in the workplace, community, and product design."
Cassie appreciates the strong support from AVID’s executive sponsor, Robert McNamee. “He actively participates in every call and is genuinely involved in our work. Our entire executive leadership team is committed – they’re right there with us.”
Promoting an Accommodating and Respectful Workplace
Whether at home, in the office, or in the community, Cassie embodies empathy, compassion, and understanding. She aims to cultivate a more inclusive workplace culture for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers, benefiting today’s workforce and future generations.
"I want my son to enter a workforce with career paths for people with disabilities and accessible environments where they can thrive." Cassie takes pride in working for an organization that is progressing in this area; Henkel was recently recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by Disability: IN and The American Association of People with Disabilities.
Ultimately, Cassie’s message about being a pioneer for the good of future generations is straightforward:
"Practice kindness. Everyone is facing their own struggles. Take the time to understand your coworkers and how you can support them."
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