Deanne Gagne is now working part time as the new Assistant Coordinator for the RI Cross Disability Coalition. She will be responsible for assisting Tanja Blicker-Ucran, Coordinator, in organizing meetings and activities as well as implementing the Work Plan and Priority Areas of the Coalition.
Deanne earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Rhode Island College in 2006. Since 1997 she has been working as a Coordinator for Advocates in Action, which is Rhode Island’s statewide Self-Advocacy Organization. She also worked for PAL, a statewide family advocacy organization, and was an Interviewer for the Rhode Island Support Intensity Scale (SIS) pilot project, developed by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Deanne’s expertise includes coordinating events, public speaking, and training assistance around disability awareness issues. She was involved with the “ACT” Initiative from 2004-2010. Under the ACT Initiative PAL, DAY ONE, and the RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence collaborated to better ensure safety and decrease violence against women with disabilities. She is also a trained sexuality educator and a member of the RI Sexuality Educators Network.
In 2010 Deanne started her own consultant business called “Bridge Building Services” which serves as a change agent to assist individuals, families and their networks of support to plan quality outcomes that are important and meaningful to the individual.