Our Team
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Ellen Austin, President, Retired Teacher of the Deaf
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Leslie Bandy, Vice-President, Parent of Deaf children
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Jenni Hushour, Treasurer, Parent of deaf child
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Kerri Vipperman, Secretary, Retired Speech Language Pathologist
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Renee Chocklett, Teacher of the Deaf
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Heather Dickey, Audiologist
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Tara Floyd, Speech Language Pathologist, Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist
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Noell Lee, Teacher of the Deaf
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Wayne Moore, Retired Audiologist
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Cecil Prillaman, CODA, Retired DRS specialist for Deaf/Blind
To help provide deaf and hard of hearing children the means to improve their educational skills so they will be on par with hearing children.
To help provide deaf and hard of hearing children the same opportunities for independent socialization and fellowship as would be afforded hearing children.
To help advocate for job opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing graduates that are equal to their educational level and that offer salaries commensurate with their abilities.
To help provide deaf and hard of hearing children the necessary support to improve and maintain their quality of life within the school, home, and community.
Our Mission
About Us
Who Are We?
The Past Affects the Future
When this Corporation was formed in November of 1988, there were no captioned televisions, no cell phones, and limited personal computers. Communication with others was difficult for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. This included communicating with one another, communicating with doctors and employers, and knowing what was happening locally, nationally, and internationally.
The Corporation Provided Access that Didn’t Exist at the Time
The Corporation bought and distributed captioned televisions and ttys (teletypewriters for the deaf) to deaf and hard of hearing children in the Roanoke Valley. These devices not only gave children access to others, it provided motivation for greater socialization and a means to encourage improved written English skills.
Since deaf and hard of hearing children were served in a Regional Program and came from 6 cities and counties in the area, opportunities for socialization with other deaf and hard of hearing children outside the school day was challenging. The Corporation planned and funded local after school outings as well as chaperoned trips to places that would provide cultural experiences that they would not otherwise have. The Corporation helped to fund travel and lodging for the children and parents to attend the International Creative Arts Festival in Northbrook, Illinois where they competed with deaf and hard of hearing children from all over the country and beyond. They were able to meet Marlee Matlin and other famous deaf individuals thereby helping to expand their own personal goals for their futures.
Our Purpose Continues While Our Experiences Change
The Corporation continues to provide opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing children to socialize with other deaf children while providing cultural and educational experiences outside the classroom. These educational experiences allow the children to incorporate many social and life skills, expereiences where older children serve as role-models for younger children. Standards of Learning are incorporated in the experiences in real life situations where the children must count money, evaluate costs, calculate taxes, incorporate new vocabulary associated with the experience and work on speech and langauge skills.
The Corporation has funded sign language classes for families of deaf and hard of hearing children providing books and resources to help families develop appropriate language skills to use with their child.
