Who We Are
Julie Burkhart
Administrative Professional
Julie Burkhart is an administrative professional with over 20 years’ experience in education. She assists the Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness with projects including fiscal, document accessibility and webinars. Prior to her work at OCALI, she worked at elementary schools, an Educational Service Center, and a State Support Team. She enjoys playing games, hiking, and traveling. She has two granddaughters, one who has albinism and is visually impaired.
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
Maggie Dewan
Educational Audiologist
Maggie Dewan, Au.D. is an educational audiologist serving several school districts in the greater Columbus area. She received her doctorate in Audiology at Wayne State University in 2021. Her dual undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Psychology is from Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame. Dr. Maggie is passionate about providing support to students with hearing loss to ensure they are granted an equal opportunity to learn through direct access to classroom instruction. Dr. Maggie is thrilled to be joining the OCALI team to provide insight for hearing devices offered by OCALI.
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
Consultant
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.