WAWOS is a multinational nonprofit, but first, there was a seasoned marketing exec and new mother searching for answers—and a daughter showing her what was possible. As Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day approaches, founder Jacquie Robison shares the story of how lived experience became a mission, and how resilience, community, and purpose can change far more than one life.
Read more about the way her daughter's CP diagnosis led to an entrepreneurship journey that is building a more inclusive, kind and empathetic world.
March 25th — Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day — will always be personal for me.
Before becoming a mom, I wasn’t a clinician or a policy maker. I was a marketing executive with almost 20 years of experience. I had just hit pause on my career when a doctor told me and my husband, “Your 18 month old baby has mild cerebral palsy.”
Our daughter, Sofia had been given a label, but we had no lighthouse. What I quickly realized was that the biggest barriers in her life wouldn’t be physical… they would be societal. Expectations. Awareness. Access. Imagination.
And yet, what she showed me – every single day — was resilience in its purest form.
She didn’t see limits. She saw possibilities.
She didn’t ask, “Why me?” She asked, “What’s next?”
That perspective changed me. It pushed me to ask a bigger question:
What if we could build a world that saw our kids the way we do?
The answer to that question became WAWOS.
Applying my work experience to launch a nonprofit in the field of disability inclusion shifted my lens and grew my business acuity.
Defining Success: Shifting from financial metrics to personal fulfillment, team-wide growth, and compassion. My daughter has taught me that the best strategy is showing up consistently and celebrating small wins. With WAWOS, we demonstrate the need, show the impact, create connections, and the donors come.
Crisis Management: Whether advocating for assistive equipment, accessibility or other supports, I’ve developed deeper patience and an ability to navigate complex systems. As an entrepreneur, this problem-solving has been a great benefit when things don’t go to plan.
Building Efficiency: The resilience and grit I see in the way my daughter navigates a world that is not designed for her, helped me realize that efficiency is about more than just speed. It’s been a masterclass in logistics, timelines and providing access for everyone.
Over the past 17 years, Sofia has tackled everything from adaptive skiing to rock climbing with friends. She took a cooking class to develop her techniques and palate, and she recently got her drivers license. What started as my family’s journey has grown into so much more. WAWOS is not a ‘me mission’, but a ‘we movement’.
When people come together—parents, kids, advocates, allies, companies—we don’t just support one another, we shift narratives. We redefine what ability looks like. We create spaces where every child belongs and thrives.
Cerebral palsy is part of my daughter’s story. It is not her whole story.
I’m reflecting on how far we’ve come with WAWOS—and how much further we can go. I’m thinking about the power of community to turn isolation into connection. I’m thinking about the quiet strength of our kids that becomes a force when amplified together.
And I’m holding onto a belief that guides everything we do at WAWOS:
Leave the world better than you found it.
Not just for our children—but because of them.