JI didn’t expect it but this reward made me very happy. » Sébastien Filippini is the boss of Cécisens, a Nice company that he founded in 2020 and for which he received the Santé entrepreneurs 2024 prize from the Harmonie Mutuelle group. The reward for a great idea and a lot of work on the part of this visually impaired native of the Bay of Angels. Cécisens works in companies keen to raise awareness of disabilities among their employees. Sébastien Filippini’s is visual but the training he provides makes it easier to welcome employees suffering from all types of pathologies.
Benefit from experience
“I experienced life as an able-bodied person because I lost my sight in three weeks at the age of 16. Everything then changed in my life. In my professional career, I was led to work with many companies, in telemarketing and then in wealth management consulting. At the same time, I founded the Anices association in 2007 dedicated to disabled sports. I gained from all this a great deal of experience in human relations. was when I was contacted several years ago by a bank. It asked me to speak at a seminar to explain to agency directors what disability and life as a disabled worker were.”
The Niçois then works on a presentation and the audience is captivated. “It made me want to renew this approach and launch Cécisens to offer interventions in companies. I had a lot of contacts in the economic world, I knew it was possible. Everything is on the map: awareness, training white cane, taste workshop, all to strengthen team cohesion…”
“We can accomplish a lot of things”
Sébastien Filippini even trained in massage. What is the link? “At the beginning, two visually impaired people, Cédric and Lauriane, worked with me and offered massages in the company. The second stopped because she embarked on a career change. Fanny, another employee [ils sont une petite dizaine au total] suggested I train myself. I said to myself ”why not?” and that’s it, I liked it. This aspect is important because Cécisens also works on the quality of life at work.” It is also a way of showing the full extent of the skills that can be acquired despite the disability.
“I have never been afraid to challenge myself. With Anices – which today has 150 members – I wanted to offer sport to the blind and visually impaired. My activity with Cécisens has also , meaning, hence its name. Somehow, it is also a way of showing able-bodied people but also and especially visually impaired people that they can accomplish many things. As if, finally, he was speaking to Sébastien, then 16 years old, who doubted his future.