Overview

Learning Objectives:

• Name who benefits from a functional listening evaluation.
• Explain why a functional listening evaluation is conducted.
• Identify the team members involved in planning and conducting a functional listening evaluation.

Presenters:

• Christine Croyle, Ed.D., Program Director, Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness at OCALI. Christine provides leadership to that team as they work to build capacity at the local level for learners who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired. Christine has served as a school administrator for Pickaway County Board of Developmental Disabilities and as a speech language pathologist at The Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB). 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. 
• Megan Flowers, M.Ed., Ohio Department of Education. Megan has been in the Office for Exceptional Children at the Ohio Department of Education over two years providing technical assistance and professional development to districts throughout Ohio. Megan is certified as a K-12 Moderate to Intensive Special Education Intervention Specialist with a Reading Endorsement and a PreK-6 Principal. She holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from The University of Cincinnati. She has over 15 years of experience working with students with disabilities, specifically students that have orthopedic impairments, multiple disabilities, sensory disabilities, are medically fragile and have complex communication needs. Megan has spent most of her life in central Ohio and enjoys continuing use of her sign language skills through community courses.
• Angelica Gagliardi, M. Ed., Outreach Specialist, Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness at OCALI. Angelica provides outreach services, including technical assistance, coaching, providing professional development, and connecting service providers and families to resources with the Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness. She was a Teacher of the Deaf for ten years serving students in residential programs, day school programs, and mainstream programs throughout her career. Angelica has a passion for literacy, which was the focus of her graduate degree, and is a Master Teacher for the Fairview Learning Program. She works as adjunct faculty at Kent State University helping our soon-to-be educators develop high expectations for Deaf and Hard of Hearing learners by using research-based strategies to provide full access to grade-level standards.
• Mandi Hinton, Au.D., Ohio School for the Deaf and Ohio State School for the Blind. Mandi is an audiologist at OSSB and OSD. She provides educational evaluations for deaf and hard of hearing, deafblind, and blind or visually impaired students through Statewide Services and Outreach and often travels across the state to administer Functional Listening Evaluations. Dr. Hinton has a special focus on evaluating and serving students with complex learning needs.
• Alison B. LaBarre, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent for the Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB) and Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD). Dr. LaBarre also leads the Statewide Services team who provides assessments and consultation for learners who are blind/visually impaired or deaf/hard of hearing. She has presented at state and national conferences on topics related to middle level education and the educational needs of the exceptional child.
• Doug Sturgeon, Ed.D., Shawnee State University. Doug was granted a doctorate from Marshall University with a major in Educational Administration and a minor in Preschool Special Needs. He currently is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education at Shawnee State University. Doug Sturgeon has extensive experience in education. He has 17 years of Preschool to Grade 12 special education teaching experience. Doug is currently licensed in Hearing Impaired PK-Adult, Learning Disabilities PK-Adult, Alternative Education, Principal, Supervisor, Director, and Superintendent along with Social Studies 7-12. He has trained as a trainer in Safety Care behavior intervention and facilitated and mediated IEP. His research interests include history of education, Ohio Valley history, and textbook history.