Paralympic Sailing

As a result of a snowboarding accident, Jennifer French became a quadriplegic from a C6-7 incomplete spinal cord injury in 1998. Prior to her injury, she was recreationally active with such sports as canoeing, snowboarding/skiing, sailing, fly fishing, scuba diving/snorkeling and biking.  After her injury, she still participates in all those activities.  She is an active user of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) systems.  In November 1999, she received the Implantable Stand & Transfer System provided by the Cleveland FES Center, MetroHealth Medical Center and Veterans Affairs; the first women to receive such a system.  Now residing in St. Petersburg, Florida, Jen is a member of the US Disabled Sailing Team, volunteers at the local sailing center, serves on the Committee to Advocate for Persons with Impairments for the City of St. Petersburg, is a Florida state trained Peer Mentor for spinal cord injury, and serves on the National Consumer Advisory Board for the SCI Model System Centers.  Over the course of her MBA career, Ms. French has helped launch successful divisions in such organizations as Bombardier Capital and PC Connection, Inc.  As a user of neurotechnology who has reaped its benefits, she is the co-founder of a non-profit organization, Neurotech Network. The organization’s focus is education of and advocacy for access of neurotechnology for persons with impairments, their care-givers and health care professionals. She currently serves as the Executive Director. To raise awareness and advocate for access, Neurotech Network has developed educational resources, published through several media outlets and presented to disability groups and related organizations, such as the National Academy of Sciences, the American Physical Therapy Association, and NINDS Neural Interfaces. Most recently, Jennifer’s story was featured in the documentary film, To Have Courage, and in the book, Shattered Nerves:.