Annette Bourbonniere can best be described as an entrepreneur, advocate, columnist, and powerful community leader helping organizations and individuals tap into their full potential.  She is well known in the United States as a health care outreach and employer engagement project consultant who for years has helped corporations, businesses, and healthcare providers conduct more successful marketing to persons with disabilities.

    As an advisor, Annette assists organizations that are working to include persons with disabilities in their employment strategy, workforce recruitment, and talent management plans.

    In her early career, Annette earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Rhode Island and taught at Salve Regina University, but she truly found her passion in helping others while working in the healthcare industry where she contributed her skills for over 25 years. While working in the area of medical records, she also lobbied for passage of the Confidentiality of Healthcare Information Act.

     Over time, Annette Bourbonniere has proven a tireless advocate for persons with disabilities and has been an independent job developer for the State of Rhode Island where in recent years she has assisted persons with disabilities in finding appropriate employment. Her combined experience in health care and employment consulting have brought her success and recognition including numerous awards like the Newport Daily News Community Service Award; the James Maher Center Public Information Award; the Joseph Vanni Award for Legislative Efforts; the Statewide Independent Living Council award for Community Service to Rhode Islanders with Disabilities, and the State Rehabilitation Council Appreciation Award.

     Since 2004, Annette has also penned a weekly column, “Access-Ability,” for the Newport Daily News and is a contributing columnist to Lifespan Diversity Newsletter. Additionally, Annette Bourbonniere is a member of many advisory organizations and associations focused on accessibility, rehabilitation, independent living, and business leadership.

 FREQUENTLY REQUESTED PROGRAMS BY ANNETTE BOURBONNIERE

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING

Smart Marketing to Persons with Disabilities

In this program, Annette shares tools, insights, and innovative ways to market to persons with disabilities, a segment that can grow your customer base and increase your profits.

HR/ DIVERSITY

Annette Bourbonniere’s programs center on helping persons with disabilities take their rightful place in the marketplace. While providing access is one of the ways to make your business more profitable, today´s business leaders know that hiring, accommodating, and retaining qualified employees is vital to sustainability. This is why successful HR professionals and business owners recognize the value of accessibility, diversity, and inclusion (D&I) training toward growth, compliance, and corporate social responsibility.

     Annette has designed seminars that provide your organization with access to talent that perhaps was previously unobtainable. She uses her experience in business, years of having a disability, and membership on committees, councils and boards to provide you with a broad perspective and many real tools, including technology solutions.

     Participating business leaders, managers, and their staff benefit from training programs designed to facilitate the integration of persons with disabilities in the workplace and these programs may be tailored to keynote or workshop formats as well as half-day, or full day meetings to suit your organizational needs

 Successful Integration of Persons with Disabilities

The ADA and Employment (includes ADA Amendments of 2008)

Job Accommodations and Employee Retention

Meeting Your Labor Needs While Improving Your Market Share.

Technology Solutions

This new program shares the technology available today to accommodate nearly every type of disability. Annette has experience with a number of software applications that can be used within your current system. The integration of these applications and training of employees is available. These technology solutions that are available include:

 Dragon NaturallySpeaking (certified trainer)

 JAWS

 WYNN

 MAGic

 Interpretype

 Various hardware accommodations can be used as well such as special mice, microphones, keyboards and headsets. Annette has the expertise to integrate more than one solution for a given application.

 Equal Access in Healthcare

This program is available in half day or full day formats and is based on the need to reduce attitudinal barriers and raising levels of expectations in terms of performance capability to increase employment and foster inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Modules include:

• Disability Awareness/Etiquette
• Healthcare Access
• Standards of Care for the Nonstandard Patient
• The ADA at Work
• Disability Experience Events

 MOTIVATIONAL/ INSPIRATIONAL

In Annette Bourbonniere’s inspirational keynote, Ocean Winds: The Power to Be Who You Are, audiences will be captivated by her journey as she shares lessons garnered from her love of the ocean, sailing, and swimming, She is a member of U.S. Sailing and Sail Newport and the working committee for Clagett Memorial Regatta and Blind National Sailing Championships and has completed the Save the Bay Swim on 12 occasions.

CONSULTING

Accessibility & Inclusion consulting services are available.

To request more information and to book Annette Bourbonniere as a speaker, click here.