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Consultants
Affiliated Agencies
Consultants
The states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts
and New Hampshire
have joined in a collaborative process to provide technical assistance and
consultation to infants, children and youth with deafblindness. This
collaboration has been in existence for over two decades. The New England Consortium offers technical assistance in
cooperation with each State Education Agency consistent with the priorities
set forth by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).
The New England
Consortium is staffed by a
small core of professionals who are responsible for providing technical
assistance to children who are deafblind and their families, and delivering education
and learning programs related to deafblindness.
To contact any of the professionals listed below, please Contact NEC.
Center Based Personnel
Barbara Mason,
Principal Investigator, is a graduate of the Boston College Master's Degree program
in Deafblind Education. She has
over 25 years of experience in teaching, consulting and supervising programs
for children who are deafblind. She has been active in local, state and
national organizations, as well as parent groups. She has served on many
advisory boards, has established linkages to collaborative statewide efforts
and is committed to increasing the ability of local communities to include
children who are deafblind. She has given presentations at regional, national
and international conferences. Barbara has had experience in developing,
implementing and overseeing several federally funded projects. She has been
the Principal Investigator for NEC for
the past fifteen years.
Tracy Evans Luiselli, Project Director, received her
M. Ed. in Deafblind Education at Boston College and her doctorate in Early
Childhood/Special Education from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Tracy has experience
teaching children who are deafblind in a variety of settings (e.g. public
schools and home based settings). She served as adjunct faculty at Boston College
and Simmons College. Tracy has presented and written extensively
and is certified in Low Vision, Moderate Special Needs, Intensive Special
Needs and Elementary Education.
Cheryl Harvey,
Project Assistant, is responsible for updating and maintaining NEC's student registry and database, coordinating training's (including housing, meals and accommodations), meetings (including food/coffee/supplies), mailings/e-mail, NEC's budget (i.e.: payroll and accounting), producing the NEC web site, newsletter and producing various flyers and PowerPoint presentations. Cheryl also helps with office computer support. She has been the Project Assistant and proficiently runs the office for the past seven years. Contact Cheryl for any questions you have regarding, training, housing, special accommodations you may need during your event, registrations, child registration, billing, or articles for our newsletter and any posting to our website.
Debbie Chase, Ph.D. , Family Network Specialist. Debbie graduated with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts. Trained as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and Licensed as a Massachusetts Psychologist Debbie has spent over twenty-five years working with children, adolescents and their families in a variety of settings including, schools, hospitals and mental health agencies. Currently in private practice in MA she continues her work with families who have a child or children who experience challenges to their development. Debbie is married and a parent to two wonderful children of whom she is very proud. Her older child experiences each day with both a vision and hearing loss and has taught and continues to teach her family lessons in sensitivity, caring and advocacy as we strive to make the world a friendlier place accessible to all.
Massachusetts Based Personnel
Susan DeCaluwe,
Education Consultant, received her Master's Degree in Deafblind
Education from Boston
College. Susan has
extensive experience working in a wide array of educational settings for the
past 29 years. As a consultant and program director at Meyer Children's
Rehabilitation Institute in Nebraska,
she provided assessment and training to deafblind children and their
teachers. Susan has published numerous papers including such topics as Transdisciplinary
Team Development and Assessment
Training Modules for professionals. She served on the faculty of the University of Omaha at the graduate level. Susan has
given presentations about deafblindness regionally, nationally and
internationally. She is certified in Intensive Special Needs, Vision and
Early Childhood Education. Over the past five years, she has trained more
than 600 professionals and paraprofessionals.
Paula LaBella, Family Specialist, is married to a man with deafblindness and has a daughter who is deafblind. Paula has 20 years experience as a Medical and Educational Advocate, has developed a good understanding of Special Needs Law by attending many workshops on topics ranging from Child Support, Trusts, Guardianship, Social Security. Paula organized and ran a Parent Advisory Committee on Special Education for many years and has worked in the special ed dept of a middle school, and is a town librarian as well.
Connecticut Based Personnel
Karen Olson,
Education Consultant, Board of Education and Services for the Blind, Connecticut. Karen Olson, Education Consultant, Board of Education & Services for the Blind. Karen received her M.Ed in Deafblind/Multihandicapped Education from Boston College. For over 30 years, she has worked with deaf and deafblind individuals of all ages. She has taught at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf at Gallaudet University. In her current job, she works with infants, toddlers and children of all school ages who are deafblind or multidisabled, providing consultation, inservice training and support to families and educational teams
Kathy Morgan, Education Consultant, Retired from the Board of Education
and Services for the Blind. Kathy Morgan, received her Master’s Degree in Deafblind Education from Boston College, and has been involved in education of children who are deafblind for 30+ years. She provides consultative services to children who are deafblind, or multi-impaired/visually impaired in their homes or educational programs; offers inservices on sensory impairments, CVI , and the impact of deafblindness; and supports the role of parents in advocating for appropriate services for their children.
Janette Peracchio, Family Specialist, Board of Education
and Services for the Blind. Janette Peracchio lives in Coventry, CT and joined the NEC staff in 2002 as a Family Specialist in CT. Janette and her husband Bill are parents of three; their two grown children are Gregory and Sandra. Sara, who had Cornelia de Lange Syndrome and passed away peacefully in 2004 at the age of 23. She was a wonderful teacher of persistence, acceptance, and unconditional love and for all of us. Janette’s professional training is in the field of education; with a B.S. from Framingham State College, and a M. Ed. from the University of Connecticut. She taught high school for eight years and “retired” in 1980 to raise her family, becoming an active volunteer in school programs for 20 years. I look forward to working with families and professionals as we work to improve the lives children and adults who are deaf blind. Please contact me with the issues and concerns you are struggling with in CT, as we may be able to make a difference.
Maine Based Personnel
Jean Small, Educational Consultant. received her masters in Education/Blind & Visually Impaired Children from Boston College in 1969, She also obtained a Bachelors of Science in Child Development & Elementary Education – Cum Laude from the University of Maine; Orono, Maine in 1968, Jean’s work experience consists of Catholic Charities Maine; Bangor, Maine; Program Director, Education Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Children, the Teacher of Blind and Visually Impaired Children at the Diocesan Human Relations Services; Bangor, Maine, State of Maine; Division of Eye Care; Bangor, Maine and Teacher, Rubella Project Pre-school and Deaf-Blind Department at Perkins School for the Blind; Watertown, Massachusetts. Jean also serves on several committees; Perkins School for the Blind Outreach Committee, AER Member, Planning Committee University of MA, State Rehabilitation Council /Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired, In-state Planning Committee for Deafblind Children and Youth, Perkins School for the Blind, Parent/Professional Day, Planning Committee; American Printing House for the Blind, ex-officio trustee from Maine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Advisory Committee for e-Advisor web site.
New
Hampshire
Based Personnel
Janet Halley, Program Director, M.I.C.E. Program. MICE is a statewide program providing educational and developmental services to sensory impaired infants birth to age three. The purpose of this program is to identify infants at risk for or diagnosed with a sensory impairment and to provide developmental and educational interventions. The goal of the program is to promote the highest degree of functional sensory efficiency possible within the context of the child's overall development and family functioning.
Brooke Buchanan, Education Consul ant, Brooke Buchanan, Education Consultant, received her Master's Degree in Deafblind Education from Boston College. Brooke has taught students with severe and multiple disabilities including deafblindness in the public schools, completed her student teaching at Perkins School for the Blind in the Deafblind Program, has served as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired, and has worked with a non-profit agency to provide adults with disabilities opportunities for recreation. Brooke currently works with children who are deafblind or multi-impaired/visually impaired from Birth - 21
Susan Hollis, Family Specialist, received her MSW from Boston University School of Social Work. She also received a BS degree from Wheelock College specializing in Special Education. Susan initially worked as a teacher in the field of special education for 10 years. During that time she worked with students and adults who were deafblind. She has worked as a Social Worker for the past 18 years. She works with families that have children with sensory impairments; helping them cope with the stressors of parenting a child with challenges and being an advocate for their children. In addition, Susan has two children who have multiple sensory impairments. Her 14 year old daughter has CVI and is profoundly deaf. Her 10 year old son has CVI, and has severe auditory processing disorder.
NEC Affiliated Agencies
Connecticut
Board of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB)
Dedicated to serving all people who are legally blind and children who are visually impaired that are residents of the State of Connecticut.
New Hampshire
ATECH Services
Is a non-profit statewide organization, whose mission is to maximize abilities at home, school, work or play, for individuals affected by disabilities or the aging process, through the provision of assistive technology, education, or community health services. Since 1991 ATECH Services has assisted over 20,000 New Hampshire residents affected by disabilities or the aging process in achieving their goals at home, school, work, or play through the provision of assistive technology.
NH Assistive Technology Evaluation & Consultation (NH-ATEC)
Provides specialized evaluations and consultations:
- wheelchair seating and mobility services;
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) services for those who are unable to effectively use speech to express themselves;
- computer access services for individuals who require special hardware or software to use a computer at home, school or work;
- home and worksite modification services; and
- modification and fabrication services to modify commercial products and fabricate equipment not otherwise available.
Massachusetts
Perkins School for the Blind
The Perkins School for the Blind is the sponsoring agency for the New England Center Deafblind Project in Massachusetts.
Maine
Catholic Charities Maine
NEC is affiliated with Education Services for Blind & Visually Impaired Children (ESBVIC), a service of Catholic Charities Maine. Catholic Charities provides human services in numerous categories to the State of Maine.
State Departments of Education
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
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