About CAID
Mission
CAID continues to respond to teachers…
The CAID continues to follow the tradition begun in 1850 and recognizes the value of bringing fellow teaching professionals together to share experiences and ideas for the purpose of improving learning opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing children, adolescents and young adults.
CAID has undergone a metamorphosis…
The CAID recognizes change. National Certification has given way to State Certification and teachers have become more dispersed. Where in the past, CAID members tended to work side by side at regional centers (state schools or large metropolitan programs), currently, most teachers in deaf education are spread out often working in relative isolation, doing their best to meet the needs of their students: with varying degrees of success and varying degrees of frustration.
CAID has a new mission…
The CAID focus is consistent with a current generation i.e., We are attempting to reach out to the thousands of teachers who are working with deaf and hard of hearing students in diverse educational environments (Kindergarten through College), most of whom are relatively isolated from colleagues who are experiencing similar challenges.
CAID recognizes the importance of communication…
The CAID is establishing and maintaining a communication system, a communication network that will allow for immediate and effective communication on both a general level (CAID.org and CAID listserv; on FaceBook at "Council of American Intructors of the Deaf" and "CAID-Students"; and at the a specific level CAID REGIONAL & SIG listserves).
CAID is inclusive…
The CAID welcomes ALL persons involved in the teaching/learning process with deaf and hard of hearing students to become a member of this vibrant community, regardless of how one practices the art of assisting each deaf and hard of hearing student to achieve ones academic potential and personal dreams. CAID members include teaching support professionals, educational interpreters, instructional, techs counselors and others involved with deaf and hard of hearing learners.
Meet Your Board
President
Stefanie Kessen
Email: [email protected]
Stefanie's roles have included Teacher of the Deaf, Community Interpreter, Education Specialist, and Family Advocate. In 2018 Stefanie founded The Online Itinerant to be able to support other professionals and families in a more global fashion.
Stefanie has her BS degree from Ball State University and her M.Ed. from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. She began her training with an emphasis in bi-lingual/bi-cultural education for Deaf students and later received training in working with students using Listening and Spoken Language. She has been a teacher of all ages, from birth through college age, and currently works with both signing and oral students of all backgrounds. Her background includes working with students in a school for the deaf, self-contained programs, and through the itinerant model.
President Elect, Pro Tem
Brenda Wellen
Email: [email protected]
Brenda Wellen, M.S. is a retired Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in San Angelo, Texas. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in English at Angelo State University and completed her Master of Science in Communication Disorders with a specialty in Deaf Education from Texas Woman’s University. She has worked with students who are deaf or hard of hearing of all ages from birth to 21 for the last 30+ years in both a self-contained classroom and as an itinerant. She serves as a member of the Statewide Conference on Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing planning committee. She is also the event creator and coordinator of West Texas Deaf Olympics. Brenda serves as Executive Director of Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss. Brenda joined the SSCHL team in 2019.
Special Interest Group Co-Director,
Pro Tem
Morgan Lee
Morgan is a graduate of the Deaf education Master’s program at Boston University and American University's Education Leadership and Policy program. Their dissertation focuses on the needed changes in public education for Deaf education, specifically for students who have language deprivation and are from marginalized communities. Morgan also completed a graduate certificate program at Gallaudet University focusing on teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing students with additional disabilities. Morgan has worked in Massachusetts, Washington D.C., and Virginia as a teacher and administrator in public and private schools since 2013. Morgan is the founder of Strong Foundations Consulting & Interpreting.
Special Interest Group Co-Director,
Pro Tem
Sarah Kiefer
Sarah Kiefer has a background in Deaf Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Technology Leadership, and Administration. She also has experience as a Typewell Transcriptionist. She currently serves as the Deaf Education Coordinator at the Indiana Department of Health's Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education. The Center’s mission is to monitor and track all children who are deaf and hard of hearing in Indiana. Sarah oversees Assessment and Deaf Education services at the Center for children ages 3-21. She has experience teaching preschool through high school in both providing service in brick and mortar buildings as well as virtual settings. She has served as adjunct faculty at the university level and regularly guest lectures at universities with deaf education, speech pathology, and clinical and educational audiology programs. She serves on a variety of national and statewide committees and stakeholder groups. Sarah is committed to improving outcomes for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. She works to collaborate and build capacity with school teams and provides professional development to educators and administrators both statewide and nationally. Sarah and her team at the Center develop and share resources and best-practice guidance to schools and families with school-age children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Communications Officer Pro Tem
Jeannine Watson
Email:
[email protected]
Jeannine Watson, M.Ed. has over 27 years of experience working with students with hearing loss. in both a classroom and itinerant setting. Jeannine knew she wanted to be a deaf education teacher from an early age. Growing up as a CODA led to her passion of teaching D/HH students.
Jeannine earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Deaf Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in December of 1994 and a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education with a concentration in Deaf Education from the University of Northern Colorado in December of 2016. She also has her teaching English as a Second Language and Special Education Supervision certification.
Jeannine is active in several professional organizations including PA Educators of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (PESDHH) on the Executive Board and on the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Friends of the Hearing Center advisory board. In her free time, Jeannine enjoys traveling with her husband, camping, hiking, reading and spending time with her six grandchildren.
Treasurer
Natasha Kraft
Natasha has undergraduate psychology, elementary education, and deaf education degrees from UNO. Her Masters degree in School and Guidance Counseling is from Gallaudet University.
She has worked as an activity coordinator for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, organizing local and statewide social, emotional, and educational activities. She is an itinerant teacher for an urban school district serving students in their neighborhood schools.
Natasha enjoys hiking, reading, walking the dogs, and going on food adventures in her free time.
