the dei speaker you’ve been looking for
Spreading Positivity, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility throughout THE WORKPLACE
At age five, Dustin was diagnosed with a profound bilateral hearing loss and began wearing hearing aids. This new challenge did not hold him back — instead, it fueled his journey to become a passionate and positive individual and sought-after public speaker.
Dustin’s mission is clear:
To share challenges and introduce solutions that provide equitable access for everyone, regardless of their abilities. Specializing in “communication,” Dustin shares compelling stories, experiences, inspires others and partners with brands to foster a more inclusive and accessible culture for everyone!
DUSTIN HAS DELIVERED SPEECHES TO the FOLLOWING organizations
Hearsdustin’s speaker reel
Video Description:
Dustin speaking into the camera while pointing to his hearing aids. As he explains the mission behind HearsDustin, a series of videos and photos appear from previous speaking engagements and events.
Disability:IN certified HearsDustin LLC as a disability-owned business enterprise, “DOBE”
Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
Are you part of your organization’s Employee Resource Group (ERG)? If you are not familiar with ERGs, these groups are voluntary, employee-led committees who aim to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with their organization’s values. These allies provide support, assist in personal or career development and help create a safe space where employees can bring their whole selves to the table.
Dustin speaks to many Employee Resource Groups all over the country. The Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Converse’s Global HQ, “the Disability Network,” invited Dustin to speak at their welcome back to the office event, which was both in-person and virtual.
Dustin shared his most popular keynote, “The Importance of Communication and Accessibility in the Workplace” and demonstrated an interactive workshop on communication with the crowd.
Click each of the circles below to learn more about this engagement.
Click “Book Dustin” to inquire about having Dustin speak at your ERG’s next event!
“Sometimes you meet people that just light up the room and have such a great way of communicating and making you feel lighter and better about everything. That was my experience meeting Dustin Giannelli. His energy, positive attitude, optimistic view on all things, and ability to connect with people he just met for the first time were both impressive and contagious.
Dustin, what a pleasure it was to meet you. Loved your energy, how you approach life and the challenges it throws at us, and the message you shared. Every organization needs to invite HearsDustin! I am so grateful for our ENABLE ERG for bringing in Dustin for a hybrid session on the importance of communication and accessibility. Thank you, Dustin!”
- VP, Chief of Staff at Progress Software
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT DUSTIN
“Dustin’s energy is not only contagious, but truly inspirational! His authenticity and passion with which he spoke resonated so deeply with us. I even went home and did Dustin’s communication exercise with my oldest daughter! She loved it and it sparked so much great conversation about out of the box thinking and how there are so many ways of communicating. Even though she is only 7 years old, you could see new perspectives and thoughts being unlocked. She connected our conversation to the adversity my youngest daughter faced when she was non verbal for 3 years and how we used multiple communication channels to make connections with her. ❤️”
- Manager, Communications and Engagement
Click the images below to learn more about each topic
HEARSDUSTIN IN THE MEDIA
Dustin posed on stage during Runway of Dreams, a New York Fashion Week event in Brooklyn, NY.
NESN invited Dustin to share his keynote "The Importance of Communication and Accessibility in the Workplace."
Shining light on Kulture City and TD Garden's collaboration in bringing (4) sensory rooms to the arena.
HearsDustin at Converse HQ's Welcome Back to the Office event in January.
Dustin appeared on WBZ | CBS Boston News to shine light on the law encouraging all public TVs to enable closed captioning.
Dustin brings awareness to the laws allowing those with a disability to pre-board flights.
The Hearing Loss Association of America selected Dustin as their Master in Ceremonies for the '21 and '22 New England Walk4Hearing.
Dustin collaborated with the TD Garden to bring awareness to the accommodations provided to their guests with disabilities.
Dustin highlighted Peloton's attention to accessibility and ability to Bluetooth his hearing aids to the bike.
UNH's Communication Sciences and Disorders professor invited Dustin to speak to the students studying to become audiologists and speech pathologists.
Dustin appeared on WBZ | CBS Boston News to speak about the FDA rule enabling access to over-the-counter hearing aids.
Dustin was invited to the prescreen of the movie, CODA, with his close friend, Rick McGaughey, who is a CODA.
Dustin’s degree of loss
An audiogram, as seen above, visually represents an individual’s hearing levels and hearing abilities in both ears.
Without his hearing aids on, Dustin cannot hear mid-to-high range sounds like bells, whistles, birds chirping, car beeps, high-pitched voices, or babies crying. With his hearing aids on, Dustin can hear a much broader spectrum of sounds.
While Dustin may have significant hearing “loss,” he views this as an opportunity to “gain” so much more in life. He appreciates sound, technology, and accessibility and thrives on sharing his knowledge, passion and positivity with the world!