Perkins Panda Committee

The following Perkins staff members advised on the development of all components of the kit and authored the activity and resource guides.

Norma Drissel, M.A., CAES
Ms. Drissel has been teaching children with special needs for more than 30 years and at Perkins’ Preschool Program since 1988. She has taught special classes in state, private and public schools and is certified in the areas of visual impairments, mental retardation and intensive special needs. She also holds a Certificate of Advanced Educational Studies and is a state trainer for the SKI HI Institute VIISA (Vision Impaired In-Service in America) Program.

Susan Edwards, M.Ed.
Ms. Edwards has worked in the field of vision for 19 years. She has a master’s degree in Education and is certified in the areas of visual impairments, elementary education and special education. After working in the residential setting and as a classroom teacher at Perkins, Ms. Edwards is currently the Educational Coordinator in Perkins’ Lower School Program, where she is responsible for educational testing and advising teachers in the areas of curriculum and instruction. In addition to her responsibilities at Perkins, she provides consultation services to students with visual impairments in the public schools.

Lisa Martino, MA, MT-BC, LMHC
Lisa Martino has been a board certified music therapist for thirteen years. She received her master's degree in Expressive Therapies and is a licensed mental health counselor. Ms. Martino has been a music therapist at the Perkins for eight years, working with children ranging from 6 to 15 years old.

Larry Melander, M.Ed., CAES
Larry Melander was with the Perkins Lower School Program for 34 years, first as a teacher and since 1974 as Supervisor. As Supervisor, Mr. Melander was responsible for the administration of educational and support programs for blind, visually impaired and children with multiple disabilities. He coordinated services such as psychology, social work, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and music therapy. Mr. Melander has co-conducted teacher training concerning students with multiple disabilities in schools in Slovakia and Saudi Arabia. He is certified by the Boston College/Perkins Teacher Training Course Program and received his Certificate of Advanced Education Studies (CAES) degree in Special Education Administration.

Tom Miller, M.Ed.
Committee Chair
Mr. Miller has worked in the field of education for the blind/visually impaired and deafblind for 30 years. He is currently Supervisor of Preschool Services for children with visual impairments ages birth through 6. Prior to coming to Perkins, he worked with children and young adults with visual impairments including deafblindness. Recognized nationally as an expert in early intervention, he has presented at conferences and been active in policy development and training at the local, state, regional, national and international levels. He is also active on many boards of directors.

Mary Talbot-Fox, Ph.D.
Dr. Talbot is a developmental psychologist in the Preschool and Lower School Programs at Perkins. She has worked with visually impaired and multiply disabled students at Perkins for fifteen years. Dr. Talbot is involved in psychological evaluations, play therapy and behavior support intervention with students ranging in age from three to twelve years of age.

Elizabeth Torrey, M.S., CCC-SLP
Ms. Torrey, a speech and language pathologist, has worked in the Perkins Preschool Program for thirteen years. She is a member of a pediatric team providing diagnostics and therapy to children with visual impairments and language delays ages three to six. Ms. Torrey also educates parents and professionals about feeding disorders and the impact of blindness on language development, supervises graduate students in speech and language pathology and gives workshops to foreign teachers. Ms. Torrey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology, a Master of Science in Speech and Language Pathology, a certificate from the Neuro-Developmental Treatment Association, a Massachusetts state license in Speech and Language Pathology, and a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.