Spotlight with Ericca Glasgow for National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month which celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates about the value of a workforce inclusive of their skills and talents. CDW is committed to fostering a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture for all coworkers. We sat with Ericca Glasgow (she/her), Manager, Risk Management and Compliance at CDW, to hear her story and how CDW has supported her career.
Tell us about yourself and your role at CDW:
My name is Ericca Glasgow and I am a Manager for Risk Management and Compliance at CDW.
I have been married to my husband, Micheil, for 20 years and we have two wonderful boys, Connor and Nicholas. As a family, we enjoy family trips to the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the summer for fishing and then in the fall to see the colors and carve pumpkins!
I was referred to CDW by one of my best friends. Since starting here, I have worked in Payroll (Payroll Practitioner), Tax & Treasury (Stock Plan Administrator), Legal (Sr. Ethics and Compliance Specialist) and now as Manager, Risk Management and Compliance in the Technology department.
If you are comfortable, would you please share your disability and how CDW has supported you/provided you with an accommodation (if any)?
When I started with CDW in 1999, I was disability-free. In 2002, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Throughout my disability journey, CDW has been supportive in many ways. I needed to make various requests through the reasonable accommodations process as my disability progressed over the years. CDW has met these through providing speech recognition software and raising my desk up to enable my wheelchair to fit under it for days when I am in the office or working from home (pre-pandemic era).
How has CDW supported you in your career goals?
I have been with CDW for over 23 years now and have been in a variety of roles. CDW promotes career growth and sees potential in all coworkers and wants them to succeed. We have our Talent Review Process (TRP) which allowed me to identify my desire to grow into a management position.
Additionally, I have been serving on our Business Resource Group –Alliance for Business Leading Equality (ABLE) as the Co-Director of Communication. It was through ABLE that I learned of an organization called Disability Lead. Disability Lead is a wonderful organization and their mission is to increase civic engagement and diverse leadership in the Chicago region by developing and building a network of leaders with disabilities — consistent with the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Each year, Disability Lead puts a group of aspiring leaders with a disability who are passionate about making a change in their communities through a Fellowship Program. I am proud to say CDW sponsored and supported me as I went through this program in 2021.
How has CDW’s technology enabled you personally? How would you summarize CDW’s support for the disability community?
Being part of a technology company has helped as I had to move into a remote coworker position, pre-pandemic. CDW’s conference rooms are all video-enabled so coworkers were able to communicate with me virtually. I could feel like I was still in the room with them and it really made me feel like I was part of the team. It made transitioning easier as I adapted to working from home. I could message someone at any time, and it was like they were in the cubicle next to me. I appreciate the technology every day!
CDW greatly supports the disability community. We have conducted “Shadow Days” with the Center for Enriched Living and are an affiliate partner with Disability:IN Chicagoland. That is just the beginning! Our leaders are also on executive boards of organizations that support the disability community. At CDW, you know that you are supported and encouraged to be part of the larger community.
What is your perspective on the disability culture at CDW?
If you ever ask the people what they like the most about CDW, they will say “the culture.” It’s a consistent theme. It is what has kept me here year after year. My disability, it fits the culture, it’s in the culture. The ABLE BRG along with the Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) team do a great job of educating and informing our coworkers and leaders in order to be allies within CDW and the disability community.
It’s been great telling my story as I move around the company and meeting so many different coworkers. Each time I move departments, I get to tell my disability story again so that I can be my authentic self. At CDW, this is not only supported but encouraged. By telling my story, I may encourage the next person to tell theirs or just give them someone to approach when they need a helping hand.
– Ericca Glasgow
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month which celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates about the value of a workforce inclusive of their skills and talents. CDW is committed to fostering a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture for all coworkers. We sat with Ericca Glasgow (she/her), Manager, Risk Management and Compliance at CDW, to hear her story and how CDW has supported her career.
Tell us about yourself and your role at CDW:
My name is Ericca Glasgow and I am a Manager for Risk Management and Compliance at CDW.
I have been married to my husband, Micheil, for 20 years and we have two wonderful boys, Connor and Nicholas. As a family, we enjoy family trips to the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the summer for fishing and then in the fall to see the colors and carve pumpkins!
I was referred to CDW by one of my best friends. Since starting here, I have worked in Payroll (Payroll Practitioner), Tax & Treasury (Stock Plan Administrator), Legal (Sr. Ethics and Compliance Specialist) and now as Manager, Risk Management and Compliance in the Technology department.
If you are comfortable, would you please share your disability and how CDW has supported you/provided you with an accommodation (if any)?
When I started with CDW in 1999, I was disability-free. In 2002, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Throughout my disability journey, CDW has been supportive in many ways. I needed to make various requests through the reasonable accommodations process as my disability progressed over the years. CDW has met these through providing speech recognition software and raising my desk up to enable my wheelchair to fit under it for days when I am in the office or working from home (pre-pandemic era).
How has CDW supported you in your career goals?
I have been with CDW for over 23 years now and have been in a variety of roles. CDW promotes career growth and sees potential in all coworkers and wants them to succeed. We have our Talent Review Process (TRP) which allowed me to identify my desire to grow into a management position.
Additionally, I have been serving on our Business Resource Group –Alliance for Business Leading Equality (ABLE) as the Co-Director of Communication. It was through ABLE that I learned of an organization called Disability Lead. Disability Lead is a wonderful organization and their mission is to increase civic engagement and diverse leadership in the Chicago region by developing and building a network of leaders with disabilities — consistent with the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Each year, Disability Lead puts a group of aspiring leaders with a disability who are passionate about making a change in their communities through a Fellowship Program. I am proud to say CDW sponsored and supported me as I went through this program in 2021.
How has CDW’s technology enabled you personally? How would you summarize CDW’s support for the disability community?
Being part of a technology company has helped as I had to move into a remote coworker position, pre-pandemic. CDW’s conference rooms are all video-enabled so coworkers were able to communicate with me virtually. I could feel like I was still in the room with them and it really made me feel like I was part of the team. It made transitioning easier as I adapted to working from home. I could message someone at any time, and it was like they were in the cubicle next to me. I appreciate the technology every day!
CDW greatly supports the disability community. We have conducted “Shadow Days” with the Center for Enriched Living and are an affiliate partner with Disability:IN Chicagoland. That is just the beginning! Our leaders are also on executive boards of organizations that support the disability community. At CDW, you know that you are supported and encouraged to be part of the larger community.
What is your perspective on the disability culture at CDW?
If you ever ask the people what they like the most about CDW, they will say “the culture.” It’s a consistent theme. It is what has kept me here year after year. My disability, it fits the culture, it’s in the culture. The ABLE BRG along with the Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) team do a great job of educating and informing our coworkers and leaders in order to be allies within CDW and the disability community.
It’s been great telling my story as I move around the company and meeting so many different coworkers. Each time I move departments, I get to tell my disability story again so that I can be my authentic self. At CDW, this is not only supported but encouraged. By telling my story, I may encourage the next person to tell theirs or just give them someone to approach when they need a helping hand.
– Ericca Glasgow
