Contributors
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Kimberly LeongKimberly Leong is the deaf and hard of hearing Early Start teacher at the West Contra Costa Unified School District in California’s San Francisco Bay area. She has a master’s degree in deaf education: family-centered early education from Gallaudet University. Leong previously taught preschool at Kedowa School for the Deaf in Kenya and was an early intervention specialist at the Center for Early Intervention on Deafness in Berkeley, Calif. |
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Marty Lapointe-MalchikMarty Lapointe-Malchik has been teaching for 30 years, including at schools for the deaf, in a collaborative preschool, and in mainstream programs. A fellowship year in a hospital setting allowed her to focus on cochlear implants. Lapointe-Malchik’s current caseload consists of families enrolled in early intervention agencies west of Boston, Mass. |
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Meg OsgoodMeg Osgood has worked as a speech-language pathologist for over 25 years. She has spent most of those years working with infants and toddlers and their families and continues to be grateful to make a living supporting babies as they develop first words and signs. Osgood received her master’s degree in communication disorders from Emerson College in Boston, Mass., and is currently employed by Thom Worcester Area Early Intervention. |
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Stacy AbramsStacy Abrams is a proud Gallaudet University and University of California at Santa Barbara alumna. She is currently the coordinator of the Deaf Mentor Program at the Arizona Schools for the Deaf. In her spare time, Abrams teaches classes in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers, and Families: Collaboration and Leadership Program at Gallaudet University. She also trains with the National Deaf Mentor Curriculum Team. Abrams originated #whyIsign, a national social media opportunity to promote individuals using American Sign Language, and she is a proud mother of two bilingual deaf children. |
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Stephanie OlsonStephanie Olson is the family consultant for the Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing at Children’s Hospital in Colorado. She serves as a liaison between families and the healthcare system. Olson has worked with families and children from birth to 3 through the Colorado Home Intervention Program since 1995. She currently serves on the Colorado Hands & Voices board and is on staff for Hands & Voices Headquarters. |