Professional Development

Patricia Babin - Morganton, NC
Patricia Babin is currently employed by the Western North Carolina Early Intervention and Preschool Program for Children Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, in Morganton, NC. She is a parent/infant educator for infants and children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She serves 38 counties in western North Carolina through a home-based, family-centered program. The children she serves range in age from four months to four years old and each has some degree of hearing loss requiring intervention services. The program focuses on an auditory approach to language development and utilizes a variety of technologies from hearing aids to cochlear implants.

Ms. Babin received a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in 1995 from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA. She is currently working on a Master of Science degree at the John Tracy Clinic Academy for Professional Studies at the University of California in Los Angeles.

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Barbara Danoff-Friedlander - Silver Spring, MD
Ms. Danoff-Friedlander is the lead special education teacher at Georgian Forest Elementary in Silver Spring, MD. Through a total inclusion model, Barbara supports students with learning disabilities, serious emotional disturbance, and other disabilities. She recently received a grant from the National Learning Disabilities Association and developed a highly successful summer writing and reading program for upper grade students.

Ms. Danoff-Friedlander attended the University of Maryland in College Park, where she received her Bachelors degree in 1985 and her Masters in 1990. She has written a variety of articles related to working with children with learning disabilities, which have been published in the DLD Times, the Journal of Reading Behavior, and by the Council for Exceptional Children.

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David Getchell - Naches, Washington
Mr. Getchell currently works at Naches Valley Middle School in Naches, Washington. He teaches in a self-contained resource room, serving students with moderate and multiple handicaps. The disabilities of students within this program range from behavior disordered to profound retardation.

Mr. Getchell received his Bachelors degree in Special Education from Eastern Washington University in 1996. He received his Masters of Education in Professional Development in 1998 and in School Administration in 1999 from Heritage College in Toppenish, WA.

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Melissa Haas - Pittsburgh Public Schools
Ms. Haas is the teacher of the first and only middle school program for children with autism within the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Beginning in 1999, Melissa created a program at Greenway Middle School that meets the needs of adolescent students with autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger's Syndrome. Her program provides for the communication and social needs of her students with a wide variety of inclusive experiences.

Ms. Haas attended Penn State University, where she received a B.S. in Special Education in 1994 and a Masters in Special Education in 1996. She completed the training and certification for the T.E.A.C.C.H. method (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children) in 1999.

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Mary Ann Muccino - West Hartford Public Schools Learning Center Program
Mary Ann Muccino is part of a multidisciplinary team of professionals who serve the West Hartford Public Schools Learning Center Program. Located at Braeburn Elementary, her program serves children with behavior disorders who are referred from eleven different elementary schools. The goal of the program is to help each child acquire the skills necessary to return to their sending school.

Ms. Muccino attended St. Joseph College in West Hartford, CT, where she received a B.A. in 1974, an M.A. in Special Education in 1977, and an M.A. in Reading and Language in 1995.

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Dr. Belinda Bennett Ott - Lauderdale County School District
Dr. Belinda Bennett Ott left the university setting twelve years ago to begin a preschool program at Northeast Elementary School in the Lauderdale County School District for children identified as developmentally delayed. She currently serves 11 children ranging from 3 – 5 years of age. Her program reflects a heavy emphasis on language, music, computer and sensory motor skills.

Dr. Bennett Ott received her B.S. in 1969 from the Mississippi State College for Women, her M.Ed. from Mississippi State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1982. She received her National Board Certification as an Early Childhood through Young Adulthood/Exceptional Needs Specialist in 2000.

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Kathryn Sheriff Segers - Stephens County High School
Kathryn Sheriff Segers currently works at Stephens County High School, where she has developed a program for students with profound intellectual disabilities. Her class consists of five students ranging in age from 12 – 17. She also serves as a parent advisor for families of infants with sensory impairments through the Georgia Parent Infant Network for Educational Services.

Ms. Segers received her B.A. from Piedmont College in Demorest, GA and her M.A. in Early Childhood Education/Mental Retardation from Brenau University in Gainesville, GA. She is currently a candidate for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification.

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James (Jim) Teagarden - Marysville, KS
James Teagarden is currently employed by the Marshall County Special Education Cooperative and teaches in a special purpose classroom at Marysville Elementary School in Marysville, KS. There are presently eight students in his classroom who exhibit behavioral and/or emotional challenges.

Mr. Teagarden received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Kansas. He received a B.S. in Elementary Education and an M.S. in Special Education from Kansas State University, where he is currently working towards his Doctorate degree.

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Cynthia Vittitow - Hillsborough, NC
Cynthia Vittitow is employed as a cross-categorical special education teacher in the Orange County Public School system in Hillsborough, NC. Her resource room at Cameron Park Elementary serves 32 fourth and fifth grade students with mild disabilities.

She collaborates extensively with general education teachers to ensure a consistent educational environment.

Ms. Vittitow attended Bellarmine College in Louisville, KY, where she received a B.A. in Learning and Behavior Disorders in 1992, and an M.A. in Special Education in 1997.

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Sandra Yoder - Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit #13
Sandra Yoder works at the Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit #13 as a Secondary Life Skills teacher. She currently teaches Middle School Life Skills Support for students age 12 - 16 with moderate mental retardation. Classroom instruction focuses on functional academics, community based instruction, and social skills, as well as cooking and job skills.

Ms. Yoder received her B.S. in Special Education from Millersville University in Millersville, PA and received a M.S. in Education from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2000

Ms. Yoder co-authored a book with Council for Exceptional Children entitled, Community Based Instruction which was published Sep 2003. In 2004 she won the Anne Sullivan Award from the Lancaster Lebanon Intermediate Unit.