Meet our ELP alumni

Weningsih is an education specialist with Perkins International’s Asia/Pacific Program. She provides consultation and technical assistance to partners who serve children who are visually impaired, deafblind and have multiple disabilities. She coordinates training and develops regional plans in collaboration with Asia/Pacific team and support of Regional Director, with the ultimate goal of implementing quality and sustainable services for children and their families in Indonesia and Malaysia.

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.

Andrea is an educational consultant that works for the Ministry of Education in Mexico and also for Perkins International. For the past 10 years she has worked as a special educational teacher for students with visual impairments and multiple disabilities and has trained educators, specialists and parents all around her country.

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.

Since 2018, Valeria is the director of Fatima Institution for Children and Young Adults with Deafblindness and Multiple Disabilities. She started working there in 2000 as a teacher of the deafblind. After completing the ELP, she has participated in many teacher training workshops.

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.

Mei is a teacher at Shanghai School for the Blind.

Lindon is an itinerant teacher of children with multiple disabilities and visual impairment at the St. Lucia Blind Welfare Association. He earned his associates degree in teacher education from the University of the West Indies and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Ashworth College.

Basem is a registered clinical psychologist at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. He is certified by the Dutch Institute for Psychologists in Child Guided Strategies for children with deafblindness and multiple disabilities (Van Dijk approach).

Daniela holds a Masters in International Development from the University of Birmingham in the UK and she is a Low Vision Therapist, a Teacher for the Visually Impaired, and an Optician. She holds the Perkins-Roman CVI Range© Endorsement, and is a graduate of the Educational Leadership Program, the flagship teacher training program from Perkins School for the Blind. As part of Perkins International Staff, Daniela supports Perkins’ portfolio of strategic partnerships, and through her expertise in the field of visual impairment, provides educational consultations in countries around the world. With 18 years of experience in the education of children with vision loss and multiple disabilities, she has led professional development opportunities in Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the United States.

Benita is a behavior counselor for children with deafblindness, low vision and multiple disabilities at the Olga Estrella Resource Center for the Visually Impaired. She studied academic orientation at the University of Santo Domingo UASD.

Carmen is an Educational Program Manager at FUNDAL (Fundacian guatemalteca para ni_os con sordoceguera Alex, the Guatemalan Foundation for Children with Deafblindness).

Burcu is a visual impairment specialist at the Ümit Kaplan Special Education Vocational Training Center and has extensive experience in the special education field.

Li is a teacher at Taiyuan School for the Blind with a love for special education. She graduated from Nanjing School for Special Education, majoring in blindness education. Li also earned her master’s degree in education from Beijing Normal University.

Nguyen Thi Hang works as a Special Education Researcher at the Institute of Educational Science in Vietnam. 

Sister Thao works with children with disabilities at the Thien Hoa Center for Blind Children in Bac Ninh, Vietnam.

Huang is a senior teacher, associate researcher and deputy director of the Sichuan Institute for Educational Research. She also works as a special education advisor at Sichuan Normal University.

Jigna holds a Bachelors Degree from Gujarat University and a Diploma in special education from Aliyavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped. She works at the Blind People’s Association, Center for Children with Special Needs as a Project Manager. Jigna’s job responsibilities include identification, IEP development, assessment and parent training.

Nikolina is a special education teacher at Mali dom, where she creates individual and group programs for children with MDVI and deafblindness. She has a bachelor’s degree in special education and a master’s degree in the rehabilitation of people with visual impairments. She has co-published several articles about functional vision assessment for children with multiple disabilities and visual impairment.

Frank is a teacher at the Demonstration School for the Deaf (Centre for Deafblind Children and Youth) in Ghana. He has been a teacher of the deafblind, MDVI, blind and visually impaired for over twelve years.

Stella is an education consultant at the Jofreshua Achievers Special Centre. She works to support children with disabilities through supporting parents, training teachers, assisting children and advocating for their rights.

Emi Kamei is a teacher at the Japan Deafblind Association. Besides her many skills, she has experience working as an interpreter for persons with deafblindness and as a math teacher for hearing impaired high school students. 

Arathi is a project coordinator at Shree Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind in Bangalore, India, where she started the deafblind section in 2012 and developed an intervention plan for children with low vision.

Joyce is a lecturer in special needs education at Montfort SNE College with a specialization in visual impairment, multiple disabilities and deafblindness. She previously worked as an itinerant teacher of the visually impaired. Joyce earned a bachelor’s of education from the University of Malawi and a diploma in education from the Domasi College of Education. She also volunteers with the Malawi Union of the Blind and the Visually Impaired and Hearing Impaired Membership Association.

Lilit is a lecturer, psychologist and the chair of Special Pedagogy and Psychology at Armenian State Pedagogical University. She also works as a psychologist at the M. Izmirlyan Children’s Home in Yerevan and is the founder of both the Ambra Mental-Well Being Center and the Heartbeat Center of Social-Psychological Assistance of Parents of Children with Inborn Heart Diseases. Lilit earned her master’s degree in psychology in 2002 from Yerevan State University and is working toward her PhD in psychology.

Ashraf is a special teacher at the Narjes School for the Blind. She earned her master’s degree in curriculum studies at Payame Noor University and is working toward her PhD at Kharazmi University. Ashraf is an experienced educator, teacher trainer and orientation and mobility instructor. She was also one of the first special educators in Iran to produce braille teaching materials using computer software.

Malle is a teacher of deafblind children at Tallinn Helen’s School and a worker at Estonian Support Union of Deafblind. She has been working with deaf children and young people since 1995, and teaching since 2007.

Anne is the assistant EARC coordinator at the Ministry of Education. A teacher by profession, she worked with the regular education, and with visually impaired students with multiple disabilities for more than 15 years. She currently works with a multidisciplinary team at a main referral hospital.

Benjamin is a program officer at Sense International in Tanzania, an organization that works to empower deafblind/MSI people and their families. Previously he worked for the government of Tanzania as a special needs education officer in the Mufindi district, and before that as a teacher of the deaf at Iringa School for the deaf. He holds a bachelor’s degree in special needs education with a focus on cognitive disabilities from Tumaini University in Tanzania.

George works as a lecturer at Kyambogo University in the area of curriculum studies, with a focus on curriculum adaptation for learners with visual impairment. He is interested in research on mathematics education for learners with visual impairment, braille education, low-vision and educational materials adaptation.

Ying is a preschool teacher and works in the resource center at the Chengdu School of Special Education. She also trains teachers and parents around her country.

Pikul holds an M.Ed and a Ph.D. from Chiang Mai University. She work for the same University as a lecturer.

Celina is a special education teacher at the Special Education Centre in Vieux Fort. Though the materials needed to work with the children are not readily available, she is motivated to find adaptive solutions in order to make them comfortable.

Ming is an associate professor in the Special Education Department at East China Normal University. She has a degree in psychology and was a visiting scholar at Boston College from 2012 to 2013. Ming is a member of the Chinese Association for Parents Having a Child with Visual Impairment’s team of experts and is also a board member of the Chinese Blind Persons Association and the Association for Individuals with Retina Degeneration.

Mary is the head teacher of the deafblind program at the Kilimani Integrated School in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition to her many specialties, she is a specialist in Kenyan Sign Language.

Marta works as a Special Educator and Low Vision Therapist at the Polish Association for Persons with Mental Disorders. She also has experience teaching dance classes to blind young students and lecturing about low vision.

Karina is the principal of a special education school in Argentina named Sullai. She also holds a management degree in special education.

Irina is an educator at the School for Deaf Children in Russia, where for the past twelve years she has worked mostly with children with multiple disabilities and deafblind students. She also works with deafblind adults as an interpreter-guide and a psychologist at the charitable organization Usher-Forum.

Rajabu is the executive director at Deafblind Assistance Services (DBAS). He has participated in the preparation of curriculum for the community-based education in Tanzania, trained specialist teachers at Patandi Teachers College’s Visual Impairment Department, conducted training for community leaders in Arusha region, and mobilizing a group and registered an NGO dealing with children with multiple disabilities and deafblindness in Tanzania.

Edmond is a teacher at the Uganda School for the Deaf _ Ntinda. He teaches learners who are deafblind and prepares them for vocational training.

Edwin is a project officer at Nairobi Family Support Services. His training as a photojournalist served as a gateway into his current role serving the families of children with special needs.

Natalia Nadal is a psychologist who works for Asociacion Mexicana Anne Sullivan and for ASOMAS, providing services for children with deafblindness and multiple disabilities. She has experience in teacher training and collaborates with the delivery of Perkins International Academy courses in Mexico.

Fiona is an occupational therapist working mainly with infants and children with developmental disabilities and school-based challenges. She worked for nearly five years at Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind and has experience in a variety of fields, including visual impairment and multiple disabilities.

Mable is a teacher of deafblind children at the St. Mark School for the Deaf in Bwanda, Uganda.

Scovia is a consultant for Kyambogo University in Kampala, Uganda.  

As a mother of a youth with MDVI herself and as the Principal of a special education school, Rabeya Yeasmin works with the Disabled Rehabilitation and Research Association in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Joyce is the head teacher at the Deafblind Unit at the Kwale School for Deaf. She coordinates the teaching and learning at the unit and also works with families of children with deafblindness in the community.

Huong is the head of the Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairment Section at Nhat Hong Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. With more than 16 years of experience in working with children who are blind and MDVI, she plans and implements IEP for her students and trains other teachers and parents.

Ksenia is a Teacher at Deafblind Support Foundation “Con-nection” and works as a lecturer for Lesgaft’s University. Her specialties include adapted physical education, sports and health, and recreation and leisure. She is training educators and other professionals across her country as well as leading the first volunteer group who serve people with deafblindness in Saint Petersburg.

Tereza has been an early intervention consultant at the Association for Early Intervention, a non-governmental organization in the Czech Republic, since 2007. This organization provides professional services and consultations to families of children with disabilities and helps them so their children can be raised in their natural environment. As a new mother, Tereza now better understands how important it is to encourage parents to feel qualified to educate and support the development of their children.

Omolola is the Learning Director of Happy Tots Enrichment Center, which operates inside one of Nigeria’s largest teaching hospitals. 

Claudia is a Specialist Teacher in Mexico’s Department of Special Education. In addition to her specialties, she has a specialty in intellectual disability. She has consulted for online courses on multiple disabilities and deafblindness in her country.

Karina is an educational coordinator at Amapolas Special School. She has a passion for working with children, youth and adults with multiple disabilities. She is currently working toward a master’s in educational curriculum and loves to teach and train her colleagues.

Shahanaz Parveen works as a senior special educator at the Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation. Her mission is to serve children with disabilities from poor income families and to provide them with health and education services and social participation in a safe and nurturing environment. 

Ana Lucia is a physiotherapist and educator at the Eva Lindstedt Centre, Santa Casa Hospital, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She also coordinates low vision projects for Perkins and Lavelle and works as a consultant for Perkins International in Latin America.

Anna is an educator and psychologist at the Center for Curative Pedagogics. She works predominantly in early intervention and preschool education, and also has experience as a trainer at the Teacher’s Training Center. Anna is dedicated to raising the quality of life of children with multiple disabilities and their families.

Nu Thi is a teacher at the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Special School in Da Nang City. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education at Da Nang University of Pedagogy. She has experience teaching children of all ages with blindness and multiple disabilities.

Julieta works in Argentina as the manager of projects and resources at the Fatima Institution and as coordinator of the Siblings’ Area at APPASMA (Argentinian Association for Parents of People with Deafblindness and Multiple Disabilities). She has a degree in psychology with a focus on working with deafblind people’s families. She works in fundraising and organizing events for siblings in Guatemala and several provinces of Argentina. She also offers briefings in schools to provide different emotional and relational tools for deafblind students and their siblings.

Charlotte is the head of the deafblind unit at Ghana Education Service, Ashanti School for the Deaf. She also works in fundraising and raising awareness of students with multiple disabilities.

Melina is a teacher and coordinator at Institución Fátima for Children and Young Adults with Deafblindness and Multiple Disabilities. She has taught children and young adults who are deafblind, MDVI, deaf, blind and visually impaired for over 14 years. She graduated from a master’s program in special education for teachers of the blind and multiply disabled.

Ji holds a Masters Degree in Special Education from East China Normal University and works as a teacher of students with multiple disabilities at the Shanghai School for the Blind. 

Guiping is a classroom teacher at Qingdao School for the Blind.

Natalia teaches functional activities to students with multiple disabilities at Special School No. 3 in Neuquén.  

Samart specializes in adaptive physical education and coaching blind and visually impaired athletes. In particular, he has initiated training programs for such athletes to participate in hiking, ten-pin bowling, and full marathons. He has also initiated transition services programs for students with disabilities in Thailand and advocated in collaboration with Perkins International for the educational rights of Thai children with deafblindness and multiple disabilities. He is a two-time Paralympic coach (Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000).

Andrea is a special education teacher at the Ministry of Education in Antigua and Barbuda. She developed an interest in special education in 2002 when she became the mother of a visually impaired daughter. Andrea works at her country’s only government-run school for students with various disabilities. She recently completed studies in general special education at the University of the Southern Caribbean and hopes to complete a master’s degree in inclusive special education.

Sonia is a physical therapist and the Educational Director of FUNDAL but she first started working as an early childhood teacher. She is an active member of The Huehuetenango Commission for Persons with Disabilities and serves as an advocate and a trainer. She has proudly received an Excellence Award sponsored by the Ministry of Labor in Guatemala.

Ana Paola is a classroom teacher at Centro Especializado en Múltiple Discapacidad y Sordoceguera. She also works for the Ministry of Public Education as a resource teacher. Ana Paola promotes inclusion of children with disabilities by providing specialized support to regular teachers.

Christine is the dean of the College of Optometry at Manila Central University, where she also works as a lecturer. A licensed optometrist, she has earned master’s degrees in education and optometry. Christine also volunteers as an optometrist and lecturer at Resources for the Blind, Inc.

In addition to her responsibilities as a special education teacher and a Professor, Paula is the web manager for Perkins website in Latin America & the Caribbean: perkinsla.org

As part of her role as an Assistant Professor at Gazi University, Pinar has established six MDVI/DB classes in schools for the blind in her country, where teacher training and family support is also provided.

Carolyn Paz is the director of CIDEVI and the coordinator of special education studies at Catholic University Silva Henriquez. She has 20 years of experience providing services for children with multiple disabilities and deafblindness and their families.

Trudy is a special education coordinator for the Ghana Education Service, Akuapem North Municipal Education Office. She has been a teacher of the deafblind, MDVI, blind and visually impaired for over fourteen years. As a special education coordinator, her primary responsibility is early identification, intervention, and placement for all children in her municipality and beyond.

Mariam works as a special educator for Caritas Egypt, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to supporting marginalized populations. She hopes to one day open her own school for children with multiple disabilities and visual impairment.

Asma is a developmental therapist at Dhaka Children’s Hospital. When she returns to Bangladesh, she plans to share her new knowledge and skills by training staff at her hospital and others across the country.

Ausward is the Director of Salima Resource for the Blind in Malawi.

Emanuela is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the University. She has also been a teacher for MDVI students for more than 13 years and program supervisor for 10 at Bulgaria’s Sofia School for the Blind. She was an international consultant and training provider for Perkins International in Armenia (2007-2009) and Turkey (2013). She is a speech and language therapist and holds a PhD in methods and assessment of communication for nonverbal MDVI students.

Magdalena heads the Dena Upakara Foundation in Indonesia. She was the principal of the Helen Keller Indonesia Yogyakarta School from 2005 to 2014.

Anna is a psychologist at Gyumri Children’s Home. She has worked for a number of years with pre-school age children who are blind and visually impaired, including some with multiple disabilities. The purpose of Anna’s work is to set her student’s behavior and integrate them into society.

Sandra is the coordinator/consultant at the Adjustment to Blindness Program. She began her career as a special education teacher in 1983 at a school for the blind and also has experience working as a special education director/supervisor.

Siriporn is a supervisor at Thailand’s Northern School for the Blind and a teacher for children who are blind, deafblind, or have multiple disabilities.

Originally from India, Lilly is currently an Associate Professor at the Emirates College for Advanced Education in the United Arab Emirates. In addition to the ELP training she earned a PhD in Special Education – Moderate to Severe Disabilities from the University of Arizona, Tucson.

Thanh is a transition teacher at Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for the Blind. She is eager to always continue learning about multiple disabilities and training colleagues in Vietnam.

Keshari is the head teacher at the Purwanchal Gyanchakshu Vidyalaya School for the Blind in Nepal. Her work is wide-ranging and includes the roles of a teacher, trainer, caretaker, nurse, counselor and fundraiser.

Ratchaneekorn is a special education lecturer at Chiang Mai University. She holds a doctorate in higher education and is interested in researching assessment and early intervention for young learners with disabilities in inclusive school settings.

Monika is the supervisor of the MDVI and DB program at the School for the Blind in Budapest, Hungary. She works as an educational consultant in Hungary to expand educational opportunities for children and young people with multiple disabilities and with deafblindness.

Ester is a teacher at the Rawinala school for students with multiple disabilities and visual impairment/deafblindness in Jakarta, Indonesia. She began working there in 2000. Her hope is that students with multiple disabilities can become independent and live meaningful lives.

Tuti manages an orphanage for Sayap Ibu Foundation which is a model program in the country. She is also involved in outreach and advocacy activities. 

In addition to her responsibilities at the University and her several specialties, Mira also specializes in education of the intellectually disabled, speech therapy, and distance and online education.

Polina has diplomas in teacher of deaf children and speech therapy from Samara State Pedagogical University, 2006-2011. She works at State Budgetary Educational Institution School No. 117 since 2011. She is a speech therapist focused on working with children who are deaf and have cochlear implants.

Derya is a TVI at the Mitat Enc school for the blind in Ankara, where she works with children who have multiple disabilities and deafblindness.

Considered by many to be the “father of deafblind education,” Dr. Jan van Dijk first traveled to Perkins from his native Netherlands in 1963 to participate in what’s now known as the Educational Leadership Program. For the following five decades, he shaped the way professionals in the field of special education assess and teach students with multiple disabilities and deafblindness. Dr. van Dijk passed away in January 2018, but his legacy and contributions to the field live on at Perkins and around the world.

Maria lives in Argentina, where she is a founding member and general coordinator of ACIPDIM (Asociacion Civil Identidades Para Personas con Discapacidades Multiples – Civil Association for People with Multiple Disabilities), a university professor in special education at the National University of Rio Cuarto, and a consultant for Perkins International’s Latin America Regional Office. She has worked to improve educational practices mainly in the areas of classroom behavior modification, literacy, and accreditation of student learning.

Krupa is a Project Coordinator with the Blind People’s Association in Ahmedabad, India, working in services for persons with deafblindness in western India. Krupa’s responsibilities include assessment of children with multiple disabilities and deafblindness, program planning for children with multiple disabilities, training teachers, parents, and caregivers, and facilitating parents’ networks.

Fransiska is the principal of SLB G/AB Helen Keller (Special School for the Deaf-Blind) Indonesia. She has worked with deafblind students for 18 years.

Stephanie is a teacher of special education at Huei-Ming School and Home for the Blind with more than 15 years of experience. Among of her several specialties, she has the expertise needed to empower the families of children with visual impairments and multiple disabilities. She has experience developing all kinds of personal-centered plans that lead to a more efficient teaching and a closer relationship with parents. Stephanie is also a graduate student of National Changhua University of Education and a specialist on career development. 

Genevieve teaches children with visual impairment and multiple disabilities and adults who need vocational training at Akropong School for the Blind. In 2014 she received a national award for being one of the hardest working teachers in the Special Education Division.

Moonset is the low vision services coordinator at the Blind and Visually Impaired Center of Monterey County in California. A native of Taiwan, Moonset has a specialty in Braille music transcription and training.

Yu is the director of the Qixing Department at Beijing School for the Blind.

Lili is a preschool teacher Nanjing School for the Blind. She also performs home visits.

Mary works as a special education teacher in Nigeria. She believes that every child with a disability has their potentiality that just needs to be discovered. Her work focuses on providing individualized education to children and in planning recreational and leisure opportunities.

Mary plays the role of both manager and consultant at NIDA Society in Cairo. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Ain Shams University, and she prepares visual and hearing assessments for children with multiple disabilities and deafblindness. She also trains others all over Egypt.

Shinyoung teaches at Dauegu Cyber University, from which he obtained his master’s and doctorate degrees. He supports his university in expanding its course offerings in visual impairment, multiple disabilities, and severe disabilities.

Daudi works at Patandi Teachers’ College of Special Needs as Head of the Visual Impairment Department since 2016. Among other topics, he teaches orientation & mobility, Braille, and teaching strategies for children with visual impairments, deafblindness, and multiple disabilities.

Natalia is a special education teacher of students with multiple disabilities and deafblindness in El Salvator. She is also a national advocate for this population of children and young adults. Her passion lies in sharing her knowledge through workshops and train others across the country.

Kaique is a physiotherapist at Ahimsa Educational Association in Brazil since 2017. His areas of expertise are in early intervention, visual rehabilitation, and creating therapy sessions for students with multiple disabilities and visual impairment.

Carmen works at the Helen Keller School in Chile, coordinating academics and supervising teachers and students’ individual programs. She holds a Masters Degree in Special Education and Multiple Disabilities from UMCE and has vast experience as a trainer in the area of special education. She ambitions for a positive impact on children who need special attention and on their parents’ lives as well.

Susanna is an associate professor at Khachatur Abovyan Armenian State Pedagogical University and has a Ph.D. in Pedagogy. She is a speech and language therapist and a consultant-trainer as well.

Phuong Linh has a degree in special education with a focus on inclusive education and early intervention. She works as an early intervention teacher, supporting inclusive education for children with visual impairment and intellectual disabilities at the Center for Development and Support of Inclusive Education in Vietnam.

Molly works at Ngetta Girls Annex for the Blind Primary School as a teacher. She is a graduate of Kyambogo University in Kampala.

Tatiana holds a Masters Degree from Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University and works as a preschool teacher at Municipal Budgetary Preschool, an educational institution in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

With prior experience as a teacher, Thanh is currently a researcher in the area of education for visual impairment and multiple disabilities in Vietnam. She holds a master’s degree from Hanoi National University of Education.

Anh is a teacher at Nguyen Dinh Chieu School for the Blind in Vietnam. She teaches children with multiple disabilities and visual impairments and developes educational programs for them.