Director of Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean
Gloria Rodríguez-Gil is the Director of programs for Latin America and the Caribbean, at Perkins International. Originally from Costa Rica, she has lived and studied in Spain and the United States. She currently leads Perkins International programs in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Chile, as well as a professional network of educators across the region. A leader in the field of Special Education, Gloria has more than thirty years of experience with a special focus on visual impairments, deafblindness and multiple disabilities.
Gloria started her career as an innovative teacher, then went on to found and develop the First Educational Program for children who are deafblind in Central America, at the Centro Nacional de Educación Especial “Fernando Centeno Güell” in Costa Rica. Gloria is also the co-creator of the First Master’s Program on Multiple Disabilities and Deafblindness in the prestigious University of Costa Rica, supported by the Hilton-Perkins Program. In 1991 and 1992, Gloria was recognized for her accomplishments with several scholarships, and an internship at Gallaudet University and Perkins School from the Blind. These experiences led her to publish one of the first books on deafblindness in Spanish in 1997.
Gloria holds an undergraduate degree in Special Education in Visual Impairments and a graduate degree on Special Education in Multiple Disabilities from Universidad de Costa Rica, and a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Boston College in Low Incidence Disabilities With Emphasis on Deafblindness, under the mentoring of program Director Dr. Barbara Mcletchie. Gloria is the author of a number of articles and a dedicated advocate and speaker for accessible education at national, regional and global level.