Who We Are
Stephanie Dyer
Project Assistant
With a BA in Studio Art (Digital Media), Stephanie brings a background in disability advocacy and special education, rooted in both personal and professional work alongside families, educators, and service providers. As Project Assistant, she supports project coordination, administrative processes, and event initiatives that advance OCALI’s mission and outreach efforts. She enjoys photography, writing, and singing.
Christine Croyle
Program Director
Christine Croyle, Ed.D., CCC-SLP provides leadership for the Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness at OCALI as they work to build the capacity of professionals who serve learners who are Deaf/Hard of hearing or Blind/Visually impaired and support for their families. Christine has served as a school administrator, speech language pathologist, statewide evaluation team member for both The Ohio School for the Deaf and The Ohio State School for the Blind, and as an educational interpreter. She has presented at state, national, and international conferences on topics including leading inclusive models of education, instructional strategies, and designing spaces with accessibility in mind. Access is her passion.
Contact Information:
Phone: 614-401-2804
Email: christine_croyle@ocali.org
Harley Comtois
Educational Audiologist
Dr. Harley Comtois, Au.D., is an educational audiologist serving several school districts in the greater Columbus area. She earned her Doctor of Audiology from The Ohio State University in 2023 and her undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of South Florida. Dr. Comtois is passionate about supporting students with hearing loss by ensuring equitable auditory access to their school environment. She collaborates with OCALI to monitor hearing devices in the Lending Library, ensuring they function properly and meet students’ individual needs.
Heather Herbster
Outreach Specialist
Heather Herbster, Ph.D., has a background in supporting the needs of students, families, and educators using outreach supports. She is a licensed Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist with experience in the areas of lifespan transitions, signed language modalities, and higher education instruction. She has had the opportunity to build partnerships utilizing both state and national initiatives focused on improving student outcomes with research interests that include the examination of evaluative practices for children with vision and/or hearing loss.
Contact Information:
Phone: 614-401-2895
Email: heather_herbster@ocali.org
Michelle Motil
Family Support Liaison
Michelle obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Adolescent to Young Adult Education with a concentration in English writing from Heidelberg University. Michelle is a motivational speaker. In 2014, she was the keynote speaker for the BEST Assistive Technology Family Conference. As the Outreach Center’s current Family Support Liaison she provides information, supports, resources, and connections to families and learners who are deaf, hard of hearing, or blind. Michelle has personal experience with deafness and blindness, since she has two cochlear implants and is fully blind. She is passionate and enthusiastic about providing equity and access to all students.
Contact Information:
Phone: 614-401-2889
Email: michelle_motil@ocali.org
Rachel Bigham
Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist
Rachel Bigham, M.Ed, TVI, COMS, serves Zanesville City Schools in southeastern Ohio and has also taught coursework at The Ohio State University, College of Education and Human Ecology in the Orientation and Mobility Program. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Ohio University and her master’s degree in Visual Impairments Education from The Ohio State University with a focus on Cortical Visual Impairment. Rachel has served across age settings and seeks to provide valuable information and ideas in all areas of visual impairment services. She has given many presentations, including numerous OCALICON conference sessions, and has published several articles and book reviews.
Angelica Gagliardi
Teacher of the Deaf
Angelica is a dedicated deaf educator with over 15 years of experience serving students across residential schools for the deaf, day schools for the deaf, and public school deaf education programs. A certified reading specialist, she is deeply committed to advancing literacy outcomes for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and ensuring every child leaves her classroom with both the skills to read and a genuine love of literature.
She currently serves as a Teacher of the Deaf with Cleveland Metropolitan School District. In addition to her classroom role, she works with the Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness at OCALI, where she supports statewide initiatives to improve services for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired. Across every role, Angelica’s work centers on equitable literacy instruction, high expectations, and empowering deaf students to see themselves as capable, confident readers.