Marine Chosson

Turning my life accident and vulnerability into a criterion of resilience!

For over 25 years, I have worked in the social housing sector. In March 2021, a left ischemic stroke changed my life, both professionally and personally, leading to right hemiplegia and profoundly reshaping the trajectory I envisioned for the end of my career. It took me three years to regain almost all of my faculties. This recovery period ended in 2024 with a dismissal for incapacity, marking a difficult stage in my professional life. Since then, I can no longer handle any stress and cannot stay focused for more than three hours at a time, after which a nap is necessary to recover. This experience made me aware of a reality often overlooked: disability remains the leading cause of discrimination in hiring. Today, having come out of my long-term sick leave, I have committed to a process of reconstruction, both physical and inner. I move forward step by step, with clarity and determination, accepting falls as learning experiences and transforming perseverance into strength. Sharing my journey through testimonies and writing, and getting involved in associations related to invisible disabilities and prevention, allows me to continue expressing myself, transmitting, and fully existing, while respecting the limits imposed by fatigue. What is my biggest current challenge? Having enough energy to succeed in convincing in my fight for re-welcome. We cannot talk about a recruitment crisis and do without competent people who have experience and desire. Not to become naive but to find the balance so that inclusion is a reality AND a ... SUCCESS. I speak as a lecturer on the aspects of re-welcome in companies following life accidents or chronic illness. To support the conferences, I created an exhibition on Invisible Disability: "Beyond Appearances ..." How can leaders ensure that employees feel confident to talk about their disability, even if invisible, without fearing stigma or consequences for their career? By having me intervene (smile!). Joking aside, by advocating for DOING at the level of Inclusion and not just SAYING. That is to say, by writing re-welcome procedures, appointing Inclusion or Disability referents, and valuing life stories. The means are numerous, but authenticity is needed for those returning to feel secure and confident. The company and teams perform better when diversity is part of the equation.