Staff Spotlight

 We welcome Erika Pearson to our Center team as the new Audiology Administrative Assistant.

Erika received her bachelor of arts in speech and hearing sciences from Indiana University. She went on to work as an assistant to speech language pathologists at five Indianapolis public schools from 2010 to 2012. She ended up pursuing her part-time job as a full-time career in 2012 at Smith’s Jewelers. In 2018, she received her graduate gemologist diploma through the Gemological Institute of America.

 
Erika was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and moved to Indiana in 1998. Her father is Deaf and mother is hearing. Erika grew up in both the Deaf and Hearing communities and experienced communication barriers firsthand. She developed a strong desire to help bridge that communication gap.

 
After 16 years in the jewelry industry, she decided to follow her heart back to her roots. She is excited to apply her previous knowledge working with children and families, her understanding of the Deaf Community, and her communication skills here at the  Center.
 

Staff Spotlight

It is with pleasure that the Center welcomes Kelly Allison as our newest audiologist!

Kelly received her Bachelor of Science from Purdue University, where she studied speech, language and hearing sciences, and she completed her doctorate in audiology (Au.D.) at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill. She specialized in pediatric audiology as a Leadership in Education and Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) trainee and completed her fourth-year externship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Kelly is originally from South Bend and is excited to be back home again in Indiana! She looks forward to working with a variety of professionals at the Center and serving families throughout her home state.

Staff Spotlight

The Center is pleased to announce that Laura Leffler has joined our staff as an accommodation specialist. This position has three main duties: providing ASL-English interpreting, overseeing accommodation needs for Center services and events, and providing educational interpreting outreach through trainings and consultations.

Laura’s career started 30 years ago on the same grounds now occupied by the Center. Laura received a bachelor’s degree in deaf education from Ball State University and holds Certificates of Interpretation and Translation through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. She has worked as a teacher of the deaf, an educational interpreter, a video relay interpreter and a freelance interpreter in a variety of settings. Throughout her career she has had the opportunity to work with children and adults in a variety of languages and communication modes, and be shaped by experiences working with outstanding professionals in the deaf community, as well as in the fields of interpreting and deaf education. 

Through her varied work history, Laura has developed a passion for communication access and deep respect for individual and family choices. Laura is looking forward to working with the exceptional staff at the Center to support its mission of promoting positive outcomes for all deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

Staff Spotlight: Sarah Leathers, Educational Consultant

The Center is pleased to welcome Sarah Leathers as our newest educational consultant!

Sarah will provide educational consultation and technical assistance to schools, parents and students statewide. Additionally, she will serve as the teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing for school districts that have contractual service agreements with the Center.

Sarah received her bachelor of science degree in special education and deaf education from Illinois State University. She has 14 years of experience as a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing. Her broad experience encompasses teaching, interpreting, guiding families, and making community connections, showing her commitment to children who are deaf and hard of hearing and the families. She will be a valuable asset to the Center’s mission of promoting positive outcomes for all deaf and hard of hearing children through information, services and education.

Staff Spotlight

Deyda Salazar, Administrative Assistant

The Center Assessment Team would like to welcome Deyda Salazar as its newest team member. Her role as the assessment team’s administrative assistant involves serving as the point of contact for all assessments, performing intake and scheduling families for assessment services, as well as coordinating with schools and medical providers to obtain needed information. 

Deyda has relevant personal and professional experience. Her working knowledge of Indiana Article 7, experience working as an intake specialist for the Children’s Bureau of Indianapolis and significant background in customer service has been invaluable to the team. Deyda is the mother of triplets and has had first-hand knowledge of the First Steps system.  

Deyda is bilingual and fluent in both English and Spanish.  She exudes high energy in her position at the center and has a love of sports, especially soccer, during her free time.

William "Billy" Schwall, Compliance and Outcomes Coordinator

The Center is pleased to welcome William “Billy” Schwall to his position as the Compliance and Outcomes Coordinator. 

Billy has worked at the Center since its inception developing a comprehensive, integrative data system from the ground up.  In his new position, he will continue to provide  data tracking and analysis to help guide Center strategic planning. He will formalize and analyze compliance and quality assurance initiatives for the Center.  In addition, he acts as project manager for various projects and events.  His role at the Center is directly linked to essential functions described in our founding statute and requires him to work closely with all Center departments. He works collaboratively with many external agencies to move Center initiatives forward, including ISDH, EHDI, DOE Office of Special Education and FSSA/First Steps.

Billy has a strong knowledge of state systems and programs serving deaf and hard of hearing children.  He has a Master’s of Business Administration degree from Davenport University specializing in management information systems and many years of related experience in Michigan and Indiana.  He is also a Certified Deaf Interpreter and holds SKI HI Deaf Mentor Certification. 

Billy has been married to Janet Schwall for 25 years, and they have two children, Britta and Jake, who both attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college of Rochester Institute of Technology.

Alyssa Rex: EHDI Program Director

As part of the Indiana State Department of Health, the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education works collaboratively with the EHDI Program and is happy to welcome their new director, Dr. Alyssa K. Rex!
Dr. Rex is the newly appointed Director for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program.  She was previously the EHDI Follow-up Coordinator.  She is the administrative lead for all aspects of the EHDI program, including program and staff development and oversight, data reporting and quality for “1-3-6”, and grant activities. 

Previously, Dr. Rex practiced pediatric audiology at ENT & Associates in Fort Wayne, Indiana and served as the Associate Director prior to relocating to Indianapolis.
Her passion has always been pediatric-focused, whether she performed comprehensive evaluations, provided rehabilitation services, implemented programmatic changes due to evidence-based practices in the clinical and/or public sector or collaborating with various organizations serving the community of deaf or hard of hearing children.  

Staff Spotlight: Laura Burklew

The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education is happy to welcome our newest Early Intervention Specialist, Laura Burklew! 

Laura has a BS from Purdue and is near completion of her Masters of Public Health  from IUPUI.  She transferred to the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education from the Indiana State Department of Health HIV/STD/Hepatitis division, where she was the HIV Continuum Quality Manager. 

Laura has a background in child development and family services, child health and public health. Laura will be providing developmental therapy/parent advising services throughout the state for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children who are currently enrolled in First Steps. Before becoming a First Steps provider, Laura was a service coordinator for Cluster G (central Indianapolis area) for six and a half years. Laura has a wealth of knowledge and we are excited to have her on our team of CDHHE Network specialized Parent Advisors.