OUR STAFF

Consultation, training and technical assistance is provided by professionals with expertise in issues associated with hearing loss. The staff include professionals with a type 75 administrative certificate, educators who hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Deaf education, an audiologist, and parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing .

Marcia Breese, Coordinator/Trainer
Marcia is the coordinator for the ISD Outreach and HEAR programs, and has worked in the field of deafness and disabilities for twenty years. Marcia is also the parent of two children who are deaf.  As a parent, she has had first hand experience with issues associated with raising and making decisions about children who are deaf.

Tina Childress, Trainer/Consultant
Tina Childress, M.A., CCC-A is an audiologist and late-deafened adult who received her first cochlear implant in August 2000 and became a bilateral recipient in December 2005. She is currently a Consumer Services Specialist for Advanced Bionics' Bionic Ear Association (BEA. Through the BEA, she provides support, networking opportunities and education in person at events or through e-mail. Tina has also practiced as an educational audiologist in the mainstream and residential school setting, and has served as a consultant/trainer and visiting lecturer for various programs and schools. Tina received her Audiology degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and still resides in the area with her husband and two daughters.

Sheri Cook, Trainer/Consultant
Sheri is a teacher for the deaf currently living in Murphysboro, Illinois.  She received her Bachelor's degree in Deaf Education at Northern Illinois University.  Sheri is hard of hearing and comes from a Deaf family. Sheri is currently an instructor at John A. Logan Community College in Marion, Illinois in the Interpreter Preparation Program.

Barbara (Fiedler) Deluhery, Trainer/Consultant
Dr. Barbara Deluhery is director of Curriculum and the ISD Media Center. Dr. Deluhery possesses a wealth of experience in Deaf Education, having worked as a classroom teacher, administrator and Assistant Professor at Illinois State University in Normal Illinois. Dr. Deluhery has worked with all age groups and with individuals with a variety of special learning needs.  She has a brother who recently received a cochlear implant, and enjoys sharing her experiences as a sibling of a Deaf adult.

Charlotte Denight, BS, Consultant/Trainer
Charlotte Denight received her education at Illinois State University, where she earned a BS degree in Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Elementary Education. After graduation, she married Jerry, her husband of 36 years, and began teaching at the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville. She continued to teach at ISD until her retirement in 1999. During her years at ISD, Charlotte taught for seven years in the elementary school in a self-contained classroom, then tutored part time in the Jr. High for seven years while her own two children were small. She returned to half time work in the High School, teaching speech there for 5 years. She then took a full time position in the Education Media Center, working in the TV studio, making sign language videos and working with students in the TV setting. After several years in the studio, she returned to the Elementary School where she taught speech until her retirement. She began working with the Highlighting Education and Resources program during the module writing stages of the grant and has continued working for the grant as a trainer/consultant. When she is not working for Highlighting Education and Resources, Charlotte and Jerry (also a retired teacher) enjoy traveling and spending time with their children and grandchild and with friends and family.

Amy Dixon-Kolar, Trainer/Consultant
Amy earned a B.A. degree from California State University, Northridge, in Deaf Studies- ASL Linguistics/Deaf Culture a MAdEd from National-Louis University in Adult Education and Certificate of Interpretation from Waubonsee Community College. Amy is certified by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).  In addition to providing training for educational interpreters for HEAR, Amy is an instructor and assistant professor for William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, Illinois and is a free lance interpreter, independent consultant and presenter.

Ruth Ann Hull, Trainer/Consultant
Ruth Ann earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Deaf Education from MacMurray college in Jacksonville, Illinois and a Master of Science degree in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.  Prior to her retirement, she worked at the Illinois School for the Deaf for thirty two years and a day school program in Wisconsin for three years She has taught students in the academic track and as well as students with multiple disabilities.

Lori Niemann, Trainer/Consultant
Lori is a teacher of the Deaf with the Special Education District of Lake County. Lori has a Bachelor's degree in psychology and pre-engineering from the University of Michigan, and a master’s degree in deaf education from Illinois State University. Lori’s previous experience includes managing the Hearing Loss Link program at the Chicago Hearing Society, teaching high school math and science courses at the Iowa School for the Deaf and at the New Yrk State School for the Deaf and has served as an instructor at Gallaudet University.

Michele Westmaas, Trainer
Michele is the parent of a child who has multiple disabilities along with hearing and vision loss. She has been an elementary school teacher, a preschool teacher and director, and a junior college instructor in early literacy. Michele has been a trainer with West Central Child Care Connection, presenting on topics related to family childcare and inclusive childcare. She has been a member of the Hearing and Vision Connections (HVC) advisory council and authored parent perspective articles for the HVC newsletter. Michele is the Downstate Advocacy Coordinator for the Family Support Network.