Meet our ELP alumni

Masfufah is a principal at SLB Matahati, the Matahati School for Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairment/Deafblind.

Wilson A. Abugri is the Unit Head of Unit for the Blind in Cape Coast School for the Deaf/Blind.

Moatasem is licensed and registered occupational therapist.

Nina is a teacher at the Demonstration School for the Deaf (Centre for Deafblind Children) in Mampong, Ghana. She has been a teacher of the deafblind, blind and visually impaired for over sixteen years. She has a vast experience in working with children of varied age groups, and has written articles for the DbI Review Magazine. She is also a member of the Good Start early intervention team.

Ana Lilia is a special educator at the Ministry of Education in Costa Rica, where she has worked for fifteen years with students up to age thirteen. She is working hard to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families, bringing opportunities to develop skills and create environments full of respect, equality, and rights for all members of society in her country.

Retired but still active in the field, Isabel continues to provide teacher trainings and consultations related to her area of expertise. In 2011, Perkins awarded her the prestigious Anne Sullivan Macy Medal for outstanding service to the deafblind community.

Veronica works as the coordinator of the Asociacion Civil Identidades Para Personas con Discapacidad Multiple (ACIPDIM), a nongovernmental organization created by parents and professionals that offers educational services for students of all ages with multiple disabilities and deafblidness. She is also a professor and teacher trainer at the National University of Rio Cuarto.

Mirla is a community outreach coordinator at Universidad Central de Chile. She is a lecturer, now training other teacher and parents around her country.

Samir is an educator of children with deafblindness and multiple disabilities at Nida Society. As the assistant manager of the deafblind unit, part of his responsibilities include supervising and training teachers, assessing students and developing IEPs. 

Millicent is a teacher at the Akropong School for the Blind in Ghana. She has been a teacher of the deafblind, MDVI, blind and visually impaired for over six years. She is also a member of her the Good Start early intervention team.

Carolina is a Speech and Language Pathologist at Amapolas Special School in Chile. Her expertise is to work with student with severe disabilities and significant cognitive, physical and social needs. 

Cornelia is an associate professor at the State Pedagogical University, where she teaches future special educators and a speech therapist in Chisinau. She earned her doctorate degree in in special psychology in 2003 and is currently working toward a second PhD in special pedagogy. Cornelia has also published a textbook, worked as a researcher on inclusive education projects with colleagues from Spain, Belarus and Ukraine, and founded VITA – a nongovernmental organization that provides mental health consultations and services.

In addition to her responsibilities as the Educational Program Coordinator at Mali Dom, a center for MDVI children in Croatia, Martina is a PhD student in language and cognitive neuroscience at the University of Zagreb.

Rebecca is a training specialist and education program specialist at Research Triangle Institute International in Kenya.

Chrissie is a Lecturer at Montfort Special Needs Education College in Malawi. Her mission and role are to train educators so they can better teach children with deafblindness.

Maria teaches at Mackenzie Presbyterian University in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 2011, Perkins awarded her the prestigious Anne Sullivan Macy Medal for outstanding service to the deafblind community.

Perla works as coordinator of Educational Inclusion at the Franciscan Institute for people with visual impairment.

Alburga is the assistant director and coordinator of the Deafblind Unit at the Jeevan Jyoti Institute for the Disabled.

Dede is a Teacher Trainer for the Indonesian Ministry of Education and they work in partnership with Perkins International Academy to provide training all over the country. 

Stalin teaches children with deafblindness at the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities. He is also a researcher and teacher trainer.

Ani works as a speech language pathologist, teacher of the visually impaired and resource teacher at the Specialized Children’s home of Kharberd. She has earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pedagogy and psychology at the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Kh.Abovyan.

Ruchi is the Cofounder and Director of the Sankalp Pediatric Rehabilitation Center in India. Ruchi’s specialties include parent training, early intervention, early screening and assessment of high-risk deliveries, and neurodevelopmental therapy.

Oriana is a professor and the deputy coordinator of the master’s program in special education with multiple needs at the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educacian, or UMCE) in Santiago, Chile. She has been working in the field since 1981, and helped start the master’s program for teachers of the blind with multiple disabilities at UMCE in 2000.

Anna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Philology from the Southern Federal University in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. She works at the Rostov Special Boarding School No. 38 as an English teacher to children ages 8-19 years of age. She also conducts lessons to children with MDVI at their homes for those unable to attend school due to their disabilities.

Edith teaches children with deafblindness at Uhuru Mchanganyiko Primary School. She also has experience training community workers for home-based educational programs. She is most proud when she sees her students living independently after school.

Claxton is from Antigua and Barbuda and lives in New York. He works as a Diplomat of the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations. He specializes in academics, administration and management, assistive technology, braille and low vision.

Mai is a special educator at Nida Society. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a post-graduate diploma in psychology services. Mai decided to become a special educator after first meeting a deafblind child. The experience changed her thinking, personality and career.

Enock is the Head Teacher at the Kuja Unit for the Deafblind in Rongo. He has provided training courses about Kenyan Sign Language and has a vast experience repairing braille machines all over the country.

Estefana is a Special Education Teacher at Helen Keller National Education Center in Costa Rica. She has a rich experience providing home-based services to indigenous populations with disability across the country.

Amal is the chairperson of the board of Hope City Foundation and works as a speech therapist and habilitation consultant for deafblind students at Nida Society, an Egyptian nonprofit that provides early intervention services to deaf and deafblind children. She has translated the Callier-Azusa Scale, an assessment tool for deafblind children, into Arabic and advocates for the educational rights of deafblind people and those with multiple disabilities.

Fahmidah is a Manager at Healthy Communities and her roles include managing and implementing health programs, training, curriculum development, and awareness-raising programs for Special Olympics South Africa.

Graciela is a former professor of visual impairment and deafness at the National University of Cordoba and a former professor of special education management at the Catholic University of Cordoba, both in Argentina. For more than 20 years she worked to improve the education and quality of life for children who are blind, deafblind and have multiple disabilities in Latin America & the Caribbean.

Eric has worked as an educator at Bartimea School since 2007. He started his career as a teacher in 2000 by teaching adults who became blind at a later stage of their lives.