2021 Education & Advocacy Virtual Summit: Deaf Education

This summit is for deaf education administrators and professionals and special education administrators in the areas of policy, best practices, and innovation related to educating deaf and hard of hearing students. It will be conducted in American Sign Language and spoken English.

Purpose and Benefits

Learn …

about the transformative process of self-internalization and the psychological impact of social justice issues related to the education of deaf and hard of hearing students

Acquire …

a better understanding of the technological and disparity implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on deaf education and special education

Engage …

in discussions with presenters related to social justice and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 and general education settings for administrators working with deaf and hard of hearing students throughout the nation

Transformative Action in Deaf Education

Presented by Ashanti Monts-Tréviska

Social justice and equity issues have recently come to the forefront in nearly all aspects of our lives, including schools across the nation. Ashanti Monts-Tréviska’s presentation will highlight critical action tools to guide educators and administrators in the education system to recognize the need to transform and empower the transpersonal worldview of deaf education. This presentation provides administrators with an opportunity to explore transformative action tools and apply them to daily life.

The Impact of COVID-19 on K-12 Deaf Education

Presented by Zainab Alkebsi and Tawny Holmes Hlibok with Nancy Hlibok Amann

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have been constantly challenged, be it figuring out remote learning or how to bring students, teachers, and staff back safely. Zainab Alkebsi, Tawny Holmes Hlibok, and Nancy Hlibok Amann will share legal guidance, technology resources, and social justice considerations in doing so, along with invaluable reflections and perspectives by a school leader.

Schedule at a Glance

Presenter Bios

Ali Hamar, BA, is an outreach assistant for the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. She is also co-coordinator of the Gallaudet University Deaf Youth Pride Summer Camp. Hamar has a bachelor’s degree in bilingual outreach and is currently a graduate student at Gallaudet majoring in early language advocacy under Deaf Studies. In addition, she is studying for a certificate in the Infants, Toddlers and their Families program. Before coming to Gallaudet, she was a teacher of deaf studies and American Sign Language (ASL) for pre-K to grade 12 and ASL 1 and 2 for ninth to twelfth grades. As co-director of the Deaf Teen Leadership Camp, Hamar coordinated the curriculum of workshops and challenge courses for Washington State high school deaf teens in developing skills in team building and leadership. She has been instrumental in assisting with the planning of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Education & Advocacy Summits: Deaf Education.

Ashanti Monts-Tréviska, MA, is co-owner of Cascadia Deaf Nation. Born and raised in Florida, they earned their master’s degree in transpersonal psychology from Sofia University in Palo Alto, California. They are currently working on a doctoral degree in transformative studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Monts-Tréviska has done several public speaking engagements that aimed to guide people to deconstruct and dismantle systems of oppression through transformative system thinking approaches. They campaigned for the city council seat two years ago. They have also worked in the human service field for many years to gain diverse employment experiences, including as an instructor for deaf adults at an employment center. In 2020, Monts-Tréviska received the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Award for their unwavering dedication toward building communities through unity and service.

Claudia Giordano is a graduate assistant in Gallaudet University’s Department of ASL and Deaf Studies, working with the faculty and supporting undergraduate and graduate students through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure their maximum learning experience. Giordano also teaches ASL through ASL Connect to hearing families who have deaf or hard of hearing infants or toddlers. She graduated from Gallaudet with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and a minor in family child studies. After graduation, she interned with Tawny Holmes Hlibok, Esq., National Association of the Deaf education policy counsel, to learn more tools to better support and collaborate with professionals and parents. Giordano is currently working on a master’s degree in early language advocacy at Gallaudet as she aims to become a better advocate.

Debbie Trapani, EdS, is the director of Bilingual Education and the interim co-director of Planning, Development, and Dissemination at the Clerc Center. She is also currently co-leading the Regional Early Acquisition of Language (REAL) project in collaboration with the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. Before coming to the Clerc Center, Trapani was a parent-child educator, a teacher of students from preschool through secondary, a literacy specialist, and administrator of the Delaware School for the Deaf and statewide programs in Delaware. Growing up deaf, she was a student in several deaf education settings in California before graduating from a school for the deaf.

Marianne Belsky, chief academic officer, joined the Clerc Center in 2014, bringing with her a wealth of experience in a variety of educational settings—public schools, residential programs for the deaf, and a program serving students with special needs. Before beginning her tenure as chief academic officer, she taught for 19 years, and she has served for 11 years as an administrator, including service as a K-12 principal and an instructional coach. Belsky is a Gallaudet alumna and has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in deaf education, and an educational specialist degree in change leadership. As chief academic officer, she oversees the academic, athletic, and student life programs at KDES and MSSD, is involved with content development with the Clerc Center’s national programs, and serves on the Gallaudet University President’s Executive Team.

Nancy Hlibok Amann, PhD, is the superintendent of the California School for the Deaf-Riverside (CSDR). A native of New York City, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in government and administration from Gallaudet University and her doctoral degree in bi-literacy and reading from the University of Arizona. Hlibok Amann has worked at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind as a classroom teacher, ASL specialist, parent advisor, and Deaf Mentor. After receiving her doctoral degree, she became a literacy specialist working with classroom teachers, itinerant teachers, and supervising teachers. She then became a school administrator at ASDB, her last position there being that of assistant superintendent. In 2013, Hlibok Amann became the director of Special Projects and Development at Deaf Community Services in San Diego, Calif. There, she focused on academics, literacy, and family development for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. She then returned to the classroom as a high school teacher at the San Diego Unified School District. In the summer of 2015, she became CSDR superintendent.

Nicole Sutliffe, chief administrative officer, has served in numerous capacities since joining the Clerc Center in 2003, most recently serving as executive director from 2008-2016. Throughout her career, she has been engaged with leadership efforts across Gallaudet University, including co-chairing the University Planning and Budget Committee, serving as a member of the Crisis Leadership Team, and serving as a member of the President’s Executive Team since 2016. Sutliffe’s background is in finance, business administration, and deaf studies. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester and her master’s degree in special education administration from Gallaudet University. As chief administrative officer, Sutliffe oversees the administrative and operations arms of the Clerc Center, as well as the Clerc Center’s national programs and the Gallaudet University Regional Centers.

Taiyabah Naeem, MS, is a project manager at the Clerc Center. She was involved in the planning of the 2019 and 2020 Education & Advocacy Summits: Deaf Education, and she took on a pivotal role in the development of the preview film for the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. She is also involved in several diversity-related projects both at Gallaudet University and at the Clerc Center. Naeem grew up in Toronto, Canada, and attended mainstreamed schools. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Gallaudet University and her master’s degree in deaf education from McDaniel College. In the past, Naeem has taught both chemistry and medical terminology courses at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf.

Tawny Holmes Hlibok, Esq., is a faculty member in Gallaudet University’s Department of Deaf Studies, focusing on sign language rights and advocacy. She graduated from the Alabama School for the Deaf, and then earned her bachelor’s degree in deaf studies and sociology and her master’s degree in deaf education from Gallaudet University. She received her juris doctor degree with a concentration in family law from the University of Baltimore School of Law and is bar-certified in Maryland. Holmes Hlibok also serves as the education policy counsel at the National Association of the Deaf and provides policy consultation on local, state, national, and global levels. 

Zainab Alkebsi, Esq., is the policy counsel at the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). In this role, she advocates for regulatory changes to improve the quality of life of deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, deaf with mobile disabilities, and deafblind people in many areas, including transportation, telecommunications, employment, and technology. As part of her work, she advocates at federal agencies through meetings and filing comments. Prior to joining NAD, she served as deputy director at the Maryland Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, where she coordinated the office’s legislative and policy efforts. Licensed to practice law in Maryland, she is also a member of the American Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association. Alkebsi received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2009 and her law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2012.

Registration deadline: February 15, 2021

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Overview of Past Workshops

2020 Education & Advocacy Summit

2019 Education & Advocacy Summit

2018 Education & Advocacy Summit

Organized by the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center in partnership with the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf

About the Clerc Center

The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University is a federally funded center with exemplary elementary and secondary education programs for deaf and hard of hearing students and is tasked with developing and disseminating innovative curricula, instructional techniques, and products nationwide while providing information, training, and technical assistance for parents and professionals to meet the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students from birth to age 21.

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800 Florida Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002 USA

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This site was supported by federal funding. Publication of this material shall not imply approval or acceptance by the U.S. Department of Education of the findings, conclusions, or recommendations herein. Gallaudet University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, hearing status, disability, covered veteran status, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, place of business or residence, pregnancy, childbirth, or any other unlawful basis.

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