North Carolina Assistive Technology Program Staff
Ricki Hiatt, NCATP Project Director
As the original grant writer of the project and subsequent director for the past nine years, she brings extensive experience and knowledge to the North Carolina program. Ricki is seasoned grant writer and developer of innovative statewide programs for people with disabilities. For the last 13 years of her 23 year career, Ricki has directed and started three new statewide systems change grants in two states (North Carolina and Kentucky). She has the skills and expertise to bring about major changes in a relatively short time. She has extensive experience and "know how" in the area of interagency coordination, new program development, systems change and statewide implementation. Her interest and commitment to the field began with her early experience as a rehabilitation counselor working with people with spinal cord injuries in physical rehabilitation centers and has continued as she entered administrative positions in rehabilitation. She holds a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology.
Annette Lauber, Funding Specialist
Annette has a Masters of Art in Learning Disabilities. Prior to her job as Funding Specialist, she worked as the Consumer Resource Specialist with NCATP. Before joining NCATP in 1994, Annette worked for 5 1/2 years as a Staff Development Specialist at Murdoch Center, a regional residential facility for people with severe/profound mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. She was actively involved with assistive technology, coordinating the computer-assisted learning program for residents for the Education Department and working as a member of the Assistive Technology Team that provided consultation on assistive technology to over 16 counties in north central North Carolina. Annette has presented numerous workshops on funding, consumer assistive technology issues, computer access and low tech. Before her work in assistive technology, Annette taught a special education class for 12 years' with Wake County Schools. In her current position with the project, Annette assists people in identifying possible funding resources and in developing a funding strategy.
Yeu-Li Yeung, Consumer Resource Specialist
Yeu-Li joined NCATP in December 2000.She born in Hong Kong and is fluent in
Cantonese. Yeu-Li has a Bachelor's degree in social work from NCSU and a Master's degree in Occupational Science from UNC-Chapel
Hill. She is a registered and licensed occupational therapist. She has worked with children with special needs in an inclusive school setting, summer camp, and homes; worked with adults in hospitals and long term care facilities. Yeu-Li has a passionate interest in working with older adults and Asian populations; is focusing outreach and awareness activities on assistive technology for older adults, Asians, and service providers who work with the older and Asian populations.
Western Regional
Assistive Technology Demonstration Center
Celeste Helling, Western Regional Consultant
Celeste received her Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of North Texas. Her background includes assistive technology service delivery for children and adults with developmental and acquired disabilities. Celeste has worked as a Speech pathologist in the private sector as well as holding a position at O’Berry Center in Goldsboro, NC. Celeste comes to us from her private practice were she made extensive use of assistive technology. Celeste’s current passion is developing interactive Internet sites for speech therapists and their clients.
North Central Regional Assistive Technology Demonstration Center
Harriet Forbis, North Central Regional Consultant
Harriet has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Education. She has worked at NCATP since February of 1991. Prior to becoming a consultant with the project, she was employed by the Davidson Country NC school system. She taught children with orthopedic and sensory disabilities in a cross-categorical class. Her avocation since the late 80's has been as a puppeteer with the Kids on the Block Troupe, a tool used by the Special Needs Awareness Project of Davidson County to provide educational opportunities for persons who are not disabled to learn about all the things that persons with disabilities can do. Through funding by Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust Foundation, Harriet initiated a short-term loan program of recreational equipment through the Leisure Outfitters Center at Whitaker Rehab Center. She provides information and referral, consultation, training and technical assistance to persons with disabilities, their families, and caregivers.
Amber Brown, North Central Regional Consultant
Amber Brown, MS, CVE has worked with NCATP since May, 1999 as a consultant in the Winston-Salem office. Half of her time is contracted Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center to run the Assistive Technology Lab in the outpatient rehabilitation facility. She joined NCATP from Vocational Rehabilitation in Winston-Salem where Amber worked as a Vocational Evaluator helping people match their skills, interests, and traits with appropriate occupational goals. On-site community job trials were often a component of the evaluation. Other work history includes rehabilitation case management, vocational evaluation for persons with visual impairment, and counseling for juvenile offenders. Among her primary interests with regard to assistive technology are low vision, computer access, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Amber studied Sociology at North Carolina State University (1987-1991) and Rehabilitation Counseling and Vocational Evaluation at East Carolina University (1992-1995). She is the mother of two adorable children
South Central Regional Assistive Technology Center
A. Lynne Deese, South Central Regional
Consultant
Lynne brings extensive experience in education and technology to the program. With a Bachelor of Science in Special Education and a Master of Arts in Special/Correctional Education, Lynne couples a background in disability education with experience in the use of assistive technology with students. Lynne’s most recent position was with the North Carolina Community College System as a program coordinator for literacy services while providing numerous assistive technology accommodations for students in this setting . Additionally, Lynne has worked with both children and adults through a number of state agencies that include area mental health agencies, public schools systems, and state institutions. Lynne not only has a affinity for service provision but enjoys providing staff development and outreach training experiences for other professionals.
William J. Medlicott, South Central Regional AT
Specialist
(
[email protected]
)
Ja Medlicott has a Master of Arts degree in Transitional Special Education from George Washington University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from University of North Carolina @ Wilmington and is A+ certified. He joined the NCATP team in late September 2001 having been a stay home dad for the last three years. His background experience includes both habilitative counseling in-group homes and in state intuitions as well as vocational coordination as the Operations Manager of Life Experiences in Cary NC.
Mountain
Regional Assistive Technology Center
Sonya Van Horn, Mountain Regional Consultant
Sonya graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD with a Masters of Science Degree with emphasis on assistive technology. Her experience includes teaching in a preschool for children with multiple disabilities and working with survivors of traumatic brain injury as a cognitive rehabilitation therapist. She was the founding coordinator of the Assistive Technology Resource Center of Western North Carolina at Thoms Rehabilitation Hospital in Asheville, NC. Sonya has been instrumental in the creation of a state-wide database which will reflect the availability of assistive technology equipment for loan throughout the state. She provides information and referral, consultation, training and technical assistance to persons with disabilities, their families, and care givers.
Mary Kay Dulin, Mountain Regional AT Specialist
A native North Carolinian, Mary Kay Dulin has been the Assistive Technology Specialist at the Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) in the western part of North Carolina since January 2001. She was originally employed in April 2000 as an assistant to the consultant of the Jackson County based ATRC. As a graduate of Western Carolina University, she has bachelors of science degrees in communication disorders (1998) and chemistry (1987). In early 2000, she received state certification for SLPA. Her interest in assistive technology developed through exposure to augmentative communication devices as an undergraduate in the communication disorders program and several years of working with the geriatric population. She has acquired expertise in low-tech augmentative communication and adaptive play through her experiences at the ATRC. Mary Kay looks forward to learning more about higher tech augmentative communication devices, computer access/use, and environmental control.
Eastern Regional
Assistive Technology
Center
Lee Thorne, Eastern Regional AT Specialist
( [email protected]
)
Lee Thorne is the Assistive Technology Resource Specialist for the Eastern Region. He has a master's degree in communication science and disorders, and is currently working on his Ph.D. Lee's specialties are augmentative/alternative communication and computer access for the disabled individuals.
Assistive
Technology Specialists for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and
Deaf-Blind
Lorene Roberson, Eastern NC
Specialist
Lorene comes to us from the Division of Services for
the Blind where she was the Deaf-Blind
Specialist. After receiving her degree in Special Education from East
Carolina University, Lorene amassed extensive experience working with persons
with disabilities. Her background
includes positions such as a parent educator, substance abuse counselor, job
coach and a case manager for both Vocational Rehabilitation and CAP/Thomas
S. As a Hard of Hearing Specialist
and Deaf-Blind Specialist, Lorene has been able to utilize her knowledge of
assistive technology in helping these consumers. We look forward to the technical savvy
she brings to the Program.
Treva J. Haynes, Western NC Specialist
Treva is a native North Carolinian with colleagues, friends, and relatives in the Western North Carolina. Treva has a Master of Arts in Counseling the Hearing Impaired from Gallaudet University and a background serving the deaf and hard of hearing that includes sign language interpretation and training, program coordination, career and guidance counseling, and consultation. Treva is currently working on her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at Duke University. In addition to her certification as a sign language interpreter, Treva is a Career Development Facilitator, a Qualified Mental Health Professional, and a certified teacher and guidance counselor with the Dept. of Public Instruction. We are looking forward to utilizing Treva’s skills, knowledge, and education at NCATP.
AAACT Program(Adults Accessing Augmentative Communication Technology) Project
Trish has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree (Davidson College) and a Master of Social Work degree (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). She assisted in establishing NCATP's AAACT (Adults Accessing Augmentative Communication Technology) project, a program which serves the communication needs of adults with degenerative neurological diseases such as ALS, Parkinson's, MS, and MS. At present, the AAACT project serves 20 counties in the North Central/Northwest Region, but hopes eventually to become a statewide program. Prior to joining NCATP, Trish has had extensive experience in outreach and advocacy work with disabled children, adults, and older adults and their families. Through the AAACT project, she provides information and referral, consultation, advocacy, training, and technical assistance to individuals with degenerative neurological conditions, their families, their caregivers, and the professionals who work with them. The AAACT project also provides short- to mid-term loans of augmentative communication through its loan closet program.
