Val Fisher, M.Ed, Mainstream Outreach Coordinator
Valerie joined the staff in August 2009. She attended Eastern Michigan University’s undergraduate program for Hearing Impairments with an Auditory-Oral emphasis.  She received her Master’s degree in Special Education with a specialization in Auditory-Verbal practices for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing through the partnership between the John Tracy Clinic and the University of San Diego.

 

Carrie Tamminga, MA, CED, LSLS Cert AVEd, Lead Early Interventionist

Carrie Tamminga received her undergraduate degree in Deaf Education and her master’s degree in Early Intervention in Deaf Education from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, MO (2002). After graduation, she taught for one year in Omaha before coming to work for SJI-I in August 2003. She taught in the preschool classroom for 2 ½ years before moving to the birth-to-3 population and their families through our First Words program. She is Lead Therapist for this department and Co-Lead for the Statewide Referral Network for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. Carrie has been chair of our Parent Education Program (PEP) since Fall 2006. She began our monthly Playgroup as part of this committee. She was also the Director of the Midwest Region of INPROSEC (the former international division of the Alexander Graham Bell Association) from 2004-2008, and she has been a member of various state-wide committees related to Deaf Education in her tenure here. She received her Listening and Spoken Language Specialist certification from the AGBell Academy in the summer of 2009.

 

Jennifer Graff, M.E.D., LSLS Cert. AVEd, Classroom Teacher

Jennifer Graff joined the staff in August 2008. She has a Bachelors of Science in both special education with an emphasis on deaf education and elementary education from Vanderbilt University.  While attending Vanderbilt, Jennifer volunteered during summer breaks at St. Joseph Institute- Indianapolis. After graduating from Vanderbilt, she attended the Clarke School for the Deaf/Smith College Masters of the Education of the Deaf program.  Jennifer spent her first year teaching 3-5 year olds in Cincinnati, OH. After a year in Cincinnati, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky and worked as an itinerant teacher for the deaf/hard of hearing in the Lexington public schools.
 

Cathy Miller, BS, Early Childhood Specialist/Lead Classroom Teacher

Cathy Miller is an Early Childhood Special Education teacher, currently teaching our class that is preparing for mainstreaming. Cathy has a degree in Special Education from Butler and worked for the University of Indianapolis in their Developmental Preschool, as well as for IPS, where she had experience with both autistic and emotionally handicapped students.  Cathy was also an administrator and teaching mentor for Head Start.

 

Megan Perria, M.Ed., Classroom Teacher

Megan Perria joined the SJI-I staff in August 2007.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and graduated with certification in Early Childhood, General Elementary, and Deaf Education. She received her Master’s degree in Special Education with a specialization in Auditory-Verbal practices for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing through the partnership between the John Tracy Clinic and the University of San Diego.

 

Sara Waltke, MA, Classroom Teacher

Sara Waltke joined the SJI-I staff in August 2011.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University in Communication Sciences and Disorder, and completed her Masters in July 2011 from Fontbonne University in Early Intervention in Deaf Education.

 

Kelli Blaneknship,MA, CED, Early Intervention Specialist
Kelli Blankenship joined the SJI-I staff in August 2012 as an Early Interventionist. She graduated from Fontbonne University with her bachelors degree in Deaf Education and her Masters in Early Intervention in Deaf Education in 2008. After graduation, she moved to Nashville, TN where she worked as a Teacher of the Deaf at the Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt for 4 years. While there, she taught preschoolers who are deaf or hard of hearing and worked with their families through the school transition.
 
Lauren Schafer, M.S.D.E., Classroom Teacher
Lauren Schafer joined the SJI-I staff in August 2012. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University in early childhood education and completed her Masters in May 2012 from Washington University in St. Louis in Deaf Education.

 

Melody Studebaker, Teacher’s Aide

Melody Studebaker comes from a background in business and public school support services.

 
Teri Ouellette, MS Ed, LSLS Cert AVEd, Director
Teri Ouellette has been the director since the school was founded in the summer of 2001. Teri came to our program with a diverse background in Deaf and Early Childhood Education that included experience in both public and private schools. She has held positions in teaching, family education/counseling, school consulting, administration, and business. Teri holds degrees in Oral Education of the Hearing Impaired and Early Childhood Special Education from Eastern Michigan University and the University of Kentucky.  She is fully licensed in infant/preschool and elementary education (both regular and D/HH education). Teri was recently elected Vice-president of the OPTION schools (comprising auditory-oral   schools nationwide) and to the Board of Directors of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language.  She also serves on the Indiana Early Hearing Detection Intervention Committee.  In addition, she is an Adjunct Professor at Ball State University and Smith College, has helped to develop a number of curricula, and has been a contributing author for college texts.

 

   Katie Patterson, MS, CCC/SLP, Speech-Language   PathologistKatie Patterson joined the staff of St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf as a   part-time Speech-Language Pathologist in August 2008, and provides therapy for our preschool and kindergarten students. Katie earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Purdue University in Speech-Language Pathology.  The bulk of her professional experience came from working with preschool children and adults at Crossroads Rehabilitation Center for nearly 20 years.

 

Kristin Schaaf, MA, CCC/SLP, Speech   Pathologist

Kristin Schaaf joined the staff in August 2007 as a CFY and became a licensed   Speech-Language Pathologist in August 2008. She has her bachelor’s degree in   Speech and Hearing Sciences from Indiana University and her Master’s in   Speech-Language Pathology from State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo.

 

Susan Sehgal, MS, CCC/SLP, Lead Speech   Pathologist

Susan Sehgal, an experienced Speech-Language Pathologist, provides therapy for our preschool and kindergarten. A graduate of IU, Susan worked with adults in a   hospital setting before becoming a Clinical Research Speech-Language   Pathologist for the DeVault Otologic Research Lab, Riley Children’s Hospital.   Susan served on the board of Hear Indiana and was past president of the   organization. After nearly eleven years of working on research regarding   children with cochlear implants, Susan joined our staff as a speech-language   therapist.

 

Caitlin Younger, MA, CF-SLP
Caitlin joined our staff in August, 2011. She received her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences and her master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from Indiana University in Bloomington. She completed an externship at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis conducting auditory-oral therapy in order to maximize the spoken language skills of children with hearing loss. Caitlin serves both children in our Preschool/Kindergarten as well as families through our Early Intervention program. Further, she enjoys being a chair member in the Parent Education Program here at SJI-I.