CEHS Magazine Spring 2016 issue by WVU College of Education and Human Services

W VU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES | SPRING 2016

IMPROVING THE LIVES OF OTHERS.

INSIDE: WVU students transform lives through communication at Camp Gizmo. For people with speech disorders, the WVU Speech Center gives the gift of communication. The Job Accommodation Network celebrates 25 years of ADA.

AT WVU, WE ARE REINVENTING EDUCATION AND OUTREACH to serve

children, veterans, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and everyone in West Virginia. In this edition of the WVU College of Education and Human Services magazine, you will read about just a few of the faculty and students who are changing lives and cultivating prosperity for our communities.

Spring 2016 ADMINISTRATION Gypsy Denzine, Ph.D., Dean Robert Orlikoff, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders M. Cecil Smith, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education Laura Porter, Assistant Dean for Student Services, Director Center for Student Advising and Records, Program Director of Assessment Accreditation and Analysis

You will read about the Speech Center, a resource that helps clients from birth through their entire life-spans. At a clinic in Morgantown and a camp in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia for children with disabilities, Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty and students foster communication and create hope.

Jeffrey Daniels, Ph.D., Chair, Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Psychology

You will read about our Special Education researchers, who are giving future teachers effective strategies to help the growing number of children with autism. Their work is meeting the dire need, in West Virginia and across the nation, for more teachers with autism awareness.

EDITORIAL STAFF

You will read about veterans’ counseling, which is becoming a major focus for the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Psychology’s programming and research. Faculty members are studying how counselors can best help veterans, and they are preparing future counselors to provide badly needed service to West Virginia’s vets.

Heather Richardson, Contributing Writer

You will read about the Job Accommodation Network, the only organization in the country that provides free technical assistance to anyone who needs to know how to accommodate a person with a disability in the workplace. JAN answers 53,000 inquiries annually and serves 5 million clients via its website. Above all, you will see that we are fulfilling our land-grant calling to change lives. And we are more committed than ever before to unlocking the full potential in every West Virginian.

Reagan Curtis, Ph.D., Chair, Learning Sciences and Human Development Barbara Ludlow, Ed.D., Chair, Special Education Dale Niederhauser, Ph.D., Chair, Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies

Christie Zachary, Director of Marketing Communications Sarah Gould, Contributing Editor Mary Beth Sickles, Alumni Relations and Special Events Coordinator Emma Carte, Public Relations Intern Cathleen Falvey, Contributing Editor

ART DIRECTION WVU University Relations—Design Elizabeth Roth, Multimedia Specialist

PHOTOGRAPHY WVU University Relations—News M.G. Ellis, Senior Photojournalist Brian Persinger, Photojournalist

Gypsy Denzine Dean, College of Education and Human Services

WVU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities. (121728)

EDITORIAL OFFICE College of Education and Human Services West Virginia University 802 Allen Hall PO Box 6122 Morgantown, WV 26506-6122 Phone: 304-293-5703 Fax: 304-293-7565 Email: cehsadmin@mail.wvu.edu cehs.wvu.edu

CONTENTS FEATURES 16

Transforming Lives Through Communication

WVU students make big impact at Camp Gizmo.

Breaking the Silence

For people with speech disorders, the WVU Speech Center gives the gift of communication.

The 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Job Accommodation Network at WVU helps employers and individuals with disabilities.

BRIEFS 2

Matter of Fact

Hall of Fame

Research in Action

Anne Frank Exhibit

Community Outreach

Student Spotlight

Giving Back

Faculty Spotlight

Special Education

Contributions

By the Numbers

In Memory

THE WALL MURAL IN THE CEHS LOBBY in Allen Hall represents some of the many facets of the Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; education, communication, innovation and guidance. It also features past and present global leaders in education and human services, such as Hellen Keller, Mahatma Gandhi, Steve Jobs and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Matter of Fact

BUILDING A NEW NORMAL

A WVU Community Engagement grant for the College of Education and Human Services and local nonprofit the Human Animal Bond (HAB) will focus on providing a healthy living space for groups like newly returned veterans. Dr. Margaret Glenn, associate professor and coordinator of the Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program, said the initial idea is to create a community of “intergenerational people who are vested in supporting each other and living a healthier lifestyle.” Nature, community and animals, touted as having major positive effect on the disabled, will be a focus. Another will be encouraging individuals to seek higher education, training or entrepreneurship.

MELISSA LUNA WINS NSF CAREER AWARD

An assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/ Literacy Studies is West Virginia University’s most recent recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Career Award. Melissa Luna is the first faculty member from the College of Education and Human Services to receive this honor, which is given to outstanding junior faculty members whose proposed research will contribute to NSF’s mission to broaden STEM participation in underserved areas of the country. The accompanying grant, totaling nearly $800,000 over five years, will be used to further Luna’s research regarding elementary science education. Luna plans to work closely with six elementary schools in West Virginia, where she will investigate fifth-grade teachers’ knowledge of noticing students’ thinking. According to Luna, teachers are key in supporting children’s thinking and understanding—in science classrooms when teachers listen and respond to the things children say and do, children are better able to make sense of phenomena in the world. Luna will use wearable technology to capture teacher-noticing in action. By attaching a small video camera to the bill of a hat, Luna will help participating teachers record a constant audiovisual stream of their science teaching practices — while they plan and teach lessons, and while they assess their students’ work.

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

DEAN’S OFFICE NOTES

An internationally recognized voice scientist and laryngeal physiologist, Dr. Robert Orlikoff began his new role as associate dean of academic affairs in BRIAN PERSINGER the College of Education and Human Services in August 2015. Orlikoff has served as chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders since joining the WVU faculty in 2008. His initiatives include: eview of undergraduate courses to reflect innovative R general education foundations evelopment of CEHS’s Office of Student Services and D an Office of Accreditation and Records evelopment of a Living-Learning Community for D students interested in the helping professions, such as teaching, counseling, speech-language pathology and audiology cademic policies and curriculum reform to improve A retention, meet current and future needs and develop new student markets rticulation agreements to support transfer students A and partner with West Virginia colleges and universities eview of programs leading to certification and/or R licensure to support national accreditation

Dean’s List:

193 students

President’s List:

167 students

DEAN'S LIST

We are very proud of our students at the College of Education and Human Services and believe in celebrating scholarly success in a big way. The Dean's List celebration is a highlight for all of our faculty and staff. We love to see our students thriving and preparing to be future teachers, clinicians and counselors. These are our rock stars, and they truly go first. Students received their Dean's List T-shirts and certificates in February for fall 2015.

RESEARCH Three undergraduate students in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Education and Human Services were selected to present their research at the 13th Annual Undergraduate Research Day at the State Capitol on Thursday, February 25. Jared Ballard, Leah Casto and Samantha King presented a poster on "Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Exit Requirements: National Trends at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston." Students were selected based on the quality and significance of the research activity, the quality and readability of the submitted abstract and the relevance of the research to West Virginia.

CREATE LAB “ARTS AND BOTS”

Through WVU’s CREATE Lab “Arts and Bots” program fifth graders are learning about robotics, computer programming and engineering-themed concepts of design and production. This innovative program provides the opportunity for students to combine crafts with robotic components to build and animate their own robotic creations using custom visual programming software. Headed by Jeffrey Carver, associate professor of science education and director of STEM education initiatives in the College of Education and Human Services, “Arts and Bots” rely on a team of teachers and graduate assistants including Robyn Addie, Joy Kiehl, Marie Allen, Erica Skorlinski, Heidi Doty Patton, Jeff Garvin, Lawrence Mubwika and Mike Leshko. Groups of students design their projects based on guidelines set by Carver and the teachers. A recent classroom group focused on biomimicry, which involves creating an object that imitates a living organism. The students’ creations were designed to mimic a plant or animal using servos, motors and LED lights along with the programming to control the actions of their robot.

HEARTS OF GOLD

If you’ve spent enough time on West Virginia University’s campus, chances are you’ve spotted some four-legged friends mixed in with the student body. This is the combined work of a local nonprofit organization called the Human Animal Bond (HAB) and West Virginia University. The College of Education and Human Services’ Dr. Margaret Glenn, associate professor and coordinator of the Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program, has also joined the effort by researching the benefits of integrating service dogs into the workplace. HAB operates their Hearts of Gold service dog program to breed, train and distribute service dogs to veterans who are living with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and/ or mobility limitations as a result of their military service. In recent years, Hearts of Gold has become embedded into the fabric of WVU, and students have become involved in training service dogs for veterans in classes offered through the Davis College.

GARDEN-BASED LEARNING North Elementary School students are exploring budding garden beds on their school grounds. Expanding the classroom to include the outdoors was the vision of Jim Rye, a CEHS education professor and Monongalia County WVU Extension master gardener, who recently helped to implement the new garden-based learning program at North Elementary in Morgantown. With the help of the WVU Extension Service, Monongalia County Technical Education Center and North Elementary parents, teachers and volunteers, 13 raised beds were constructed and planted on school grounds. Each grade adopted two beds, with one for the preschool class. So far, students have grown eggplant, pear tomatoes, rainbow chard, tomatillos and more. Visit stemedu.cehs.wvu. edu to learn more about garden-based learning and S.T.E.M. education.

SPRING 2016

Hall of Fame CEHS INDUCTS TWO NEW HALL OF FAME MEMBERS.

In the fall, the College of Education and Human Services inducted two new Hall of Fame members — Dr. Ron Iannone and Lt. Col. Kristen Casto. Sponsored by the College’s Visiting Committee, the Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have a record of outstanding achievements and have contributed in a significant way to the mission of CEHS.

Lt. Col. Kristen Casto Casto earned her bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology in 1991. At that time, she was selected as CEHS’s outstanding graduate and earned the William G. Monahan award. That year, she received a U.S. Army commission through WVU’s Reserve Officer Training Corps with distinguished military graduate honors. She was granted a military service educational delay and earned a master’s degree in audiology from WVU in 1993. During the first portion of her military career, Casto successfully managed hearing conservation and clinical audiology services at a variety of U.S. Army installations, where her work was focused on the prevention and rehabilitation of noise-induced hearing loss among military service members. During this time, she also earned a clinical doctor of audiology degree from Central Michigan University. Casto was selected by the U.S. Army Medical Department for advanced training and earned a Ph.D. in human factors engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2009. Her dissertation, entitled “An Examination of Headset, Hearing Sensitivity, Flight Workload, and Communication Signal Quality on Black Hawk Helicopter Simulator Pilot Performance,” was recognized as the Stanley N. Roscoe Outstanding Dissertation in Aerospace Human Factors in 2010.

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

Casto subsequently directed acoustics research at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory at Ft. Rucker, Ala., where she served as research investigator on projects focused on auditory injury prevention and the development of auditory return-to-duty standards. In her current position as the audiology and hearing conservation consultant to the Army Surgeon General, she provides policy, oversight and advocacy to ensure an effective Army hearing program and consults on Department of Defense hearing health service implementation. Casto is the president of the National Hearing Conservation Association, the mission of which is to prevent hearing loss due to noise and other environmental factors through education and research, information exchange, professional development and participation in policy development. She is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and by the Council for Accreditation of Occupational Hearing Conservationists, is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and is a member of the Human Factors and

Ergonomics Society and the Order of Military Medical Merit. Awarded the Army Medical Department’s 9A proficiency designator, Casto was recognized for outstanding career performance and significant contributions to the Army Medical Department. She was also named the 2014-2015 Outstanding Recent Graduate by Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering.

Dr. Ron Iannone Iannone studied at St. Bonaventure University and the University of Rochester, earned his doctorate from Syracuse University and did postgraduate work at Harvard University. He has written several educational books, articles, plays and screenplays. His books are celebrated nationally, especially “School Ain’t No Way/Appalachian Consciousness” and “Alternatives to the Coming Death of Schooling.” Additionally, he has served on, and chaired, over 120 doctoralstudent committees, and through his teaching, he has touched the lives of several thousand students. Following 35 years of service to WVU, Iannone retired from his full-time professorial position. He has been recognized for his enthusiasm for bringing the arts and philosophy to the classroom, as well as for his supportive approach to teacher education. He received two lifetime achievement awards for his contributions as a writer, educator, poet, artist and as an outstanding Italian-American in West Virginia. Among Iannone’s proudest achievements is the founding of the West Virginia Public Theatre. Over the past 30 years, he has produced more than 260 theater productions. He has also presented holiday shows with instructional packets for teachers and over 150,000 students in the tristate area. Additionally, he established TARGET, an antidrug education program for middle school children. Still an active educator, Iannone recently produced an educational play on the Monongah mining disaster.

SPRING 2016

Research in Action

THE INTERACT PROGRAM USES PUPPETS TO ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO ACCEPT THEIR PEERS’ DIFFERENCES. MARY WEIDNER, a Ph.D. student

in Communication Sciences and Disorders, developed the InterACT program under the mentorship of Dr. Ken St. Louis. The impetus for the program stemmed from St. Louis’ research investigating public attitudes of stuttering and more recently, their combined work with colleagues investigating stuttering attitudes in young children. Their research has shown that as early as preschool, children begin to hold negative attitudes toward their peers who stutter. Weidner is currently developing the InterACT program as a way to target and improve children’s awareness and acceptance of differences in others, with a particular emphasis on stuttering. The program consists of three, 45-minute lessons delivered in oneweek intervals. Weidner will conduct the program initially, but plans to make it available for widespread use by speechlanguage pathologists and related professionals in the future. InterACT is comprised of educational videos and hands-on activities, both involving the creative use of puppetry. Weidner scripted the puppetry videos and enlisted the assistance of current CSD students and alumni, a WVU puppetry student, graphic designer and media producer to record them. In addition, an SLP colleague of Weidner’s wrote and recorded a theme song for the program. The puppetry videos consist of a series of short vignettes that feature five young children in various settings (school, park, playground and toy store). The puppets represent children who are typically developing, as well as a child who is a wheelchair and a child who stutters. In each vignette, the characters talk about various themes including: differences in general, ways people are different and how to interact with people who are different.

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

M.G. ELLIS

Participants in the InterACT program will watch the puppetry videos and also create their own puppet that is “different” in some way. During the final lesson, the children will perform a puppet show. The facilitator will also lead focus group discussions on children’s attitudes toward differences in others. Children’s attitude change will be evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively before, during and after the program. The Public Opinion Survey on Human Attributes-Stuttering/ Child (Weidner & St. Louis, 2014) will be used for quantitative measures. By the end of the program, it is hoped that children will demonstrate improved awareness of, knowledge about and attitudes toward others who are different.

Anne Frank Exhibit ANNE FRANK EXHIBIT BROUGHT TO WVU:

thanks to the WVU Center for Democracy and Citizenship Education (CDCE), the story of Anne Frank is more accessible for children at 11 West Virginia schools, as well as the WVU community and residents of North Central West Virginia. “Anne Frank: A History for Today,” a traveling exhibition developed by the Anne Frank House and sponsored in North America by the Anne Frank Center USA, spent most of October on campus at Erickson Alumni Center. The exhibit was open to the public throughout the month, with guided tours offered by Dr. Robert Waterson, CDCE director, and his wife, Luann. Dr. Waterson’s fourth- and fifth-year social studies methodology students led school tours. “Bringing Anne Frank and her story to Morgantown, West Virginia, helped our youth identify and relate to specific events that have helped to define us as a nation and as a people,” said Waterson. “In addition, this program reminded us of the tremendous responsibility we hold as American citizens to respect and be tolerant of all people, despite our perceived differences.”

“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” — ANNE FRANK

ELIZABETH ROTH

The CDCE also sponsored a teacher workshop and presentations aimed at providing a modern context to the information presented in the exhibit, including welldesigned civic education programs to help teachers implement their own curricula. Beyond educating West Virginians on the dangers of intolerance, Waterson used Anne Frank’s story to promote literacy. Each of the 11 participating schools received copies of David Colbert’s book, “10 Days: Anne Frank,” which outlines 10 influential events during the Holocaust that changed Anne’s life and the course of history. Waterson hopes that the highly accessible book will engage young students further in Anne’s story, while also presenting a less daunting and more age-appropriate alternative to “The Diary of a Young Girl,” which has a high reading Lexile and adult themes that can prove difficult for young kids to grasp.

SPRING 2016

Community Outreach

“LUNCH AND LISTEN” EVENT HELPS COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH HEARING LOSS. No informed customer would drop thousands of dollars on a new car without test-driving it first. However, consumers with hearing loss are often expected to spend large amounts of money — often more than $1,000 — on high-tech hearing aids that they have only had the opportunity to “test-drive” for a matter of minutes. They’re fitted for the device in a quiet room, which simulates none of the distractions and background noises that make up daily life outside of soundproofed walls. To address this injustice to consumers, the College of Education and Human Services’ Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders partnered with the hearing aid company, Widex, to host an event called “Lunch and Listen.” The goal was to invite individuals with hearing loss who might be interested in replacing their old hearing aids, buying hearing aids for the first time or who simply wanted a chance to experience what hearing aids can do. During the event, Clinical Instructor Janet Petitte and Dianne McEvoy, a representative from Widex and a former WVU audiology student, fitted and adjusted guests with their own trial hearing aids, which they were able to wear through the whole event and test in various settings with changing noise levels. Guests were encouraged to ask questions about the hearing aids. Topics ranged from pricing to warranty and battery life to cleaning and care. Nora Palumbo, one of the audiology graduate students who helped coordinate the event this year, was very pleased with the outcome. “I believe it was a successful event. Clients left the clinic having answers, experience and knowledge they may not have had about hearing aids previously.” Petitte, the event’s primary organizer, seconds Palumbo’s sentiment. She held the first Lunch and Listen in 2014, with Widex as its sponsor, and she plans to hold another one this summer as long as community interest remains. Judging from the positive feedback she got from participants this year, that seems likely. For information about the WVU Hearing Center or the Lunch and Listen event, contact Janet Petitte at janet.petitte@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-2689.

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

CHRISTIE ZACHARY

48 million Americans report some degree of hearing loss — that’s 20% of the population.

60% of people with hearing loss are either in the workforce or educational settings.

Student Spotlight CEHS DOCTOR OF AUDIOLOGY STUDENT SPENDS SUMMER RESEARCHING HIGHFREQUENCY SPEECH PERCEPTION. Most

ELIZABETH ROTH

college students covet summer vacation as a time to relax and recharge, but audiology doctoral student Rachel Halbritter spent hers in the pursuit of knowledge. As the sole recipient of a student research fellowship from the American Academy of Audiology Foundation, she investigated the little-known area of the high-frequency speech spectrum. Halbritter conducted hearing experiments on adult males and females with normal hearing. Using audio equipment and sound-treated booths, she tested their perception and identification of high-frequency speech. High-frequency energy, which consists of less energy than the lower frequency region of speech, represents a sort of “mystery zone” to scientists because very little is known about the information it carries. Individuals with hearing loss often have particular difficulty hearing frequencies on the higher end. Halbritter’s research could be applied to helping those with high-frequency hearing loss and their treatment. She believes that a greater body of knowledge in the area of high-frequency information will lead to the development of more effective hearing aids. Halbritter describes herself as having “stumbled” upon her passion for audiology. A Morgantown native and one of four children, she wanted to stay close to home during college. She chose West Virginia University for its renowned teaching program as well as its close proximity to her family. It was during her time in the College of Education and Human Services that she was exposed to the WVU Speech and Hearing Centers, and she realized quickly that her interests lie not in education but in communication disorders. Later, through observation sessions required in the Speech Pathology and Audiology program, she was able to recognize her affinity for the scientific precision of audiology. Halbritter is currently in her third year of WVU’s four-year Audiology Doctoral program. Last year, she served as president of WVU’s chapter of the Student Academy of Audiology, and she still actively participates in the group’s volunteer work, which has recently included hearing screenings at local preschools and the Special Olympics. In March, she also served as chair of the MountainEAR 5k, a one-mile walk/run benefiting the WVU Hearing Center. When she is not researching, volunteering or, admittedly, watching Netflix, Halbritter has been spending her time training for Morgantown’s half-marathon, a first for the city and a new tradition that she is eager to support. But she acknowledges that it is a lot of work; in

short, she is a very busy student. Aside from making her family proud, Halbritter’s biggest motivation to continue performing as highly as she does is to make sure she is taking full advantage of the opportunities available to her. “College is a very exciting, but short, amount of time,” she said, “and I enjoy going to school every day and learning to be the professional I want to be.” She has also enjoyed forming some of her strongest friendships at WVU. As exclusive as the Audiology doctoral program is, she has been able to form bonds with classmates who share her passion for serving others. She also appreciates and respects all her professors, including Dr. Jeremy Donai, who encouraged her to apply for the American Academy of Audiology Foundation fellowship and who has supported her in her summer research.

SPRING 2016

Giving Back

In Honor of Service THE WVU DEPARTMENT OF COUNSELING, REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY IS LEADING THE FIGHT TO IMPROVE COUNSELING FOR VETERANS.

s troops return home from deployments in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, there is an increasing demand for counseling professionals who have the knowledge and skills necessary to assist them in their assimilation back to civilian life. Perhaps no one is in a better position to attest to the importance of veterans’ counseling than Timothy Swiger, a veteran and a counseling psychology doctoral student at West Virginia University. Swiger, who is 27 and hails from Glenville, W.Va., returned in 2010 from two combat deployments in Afghanistan where he served as a rifleman. “Veteran populations face a multitude of different issues, such as low employment rates, mental health complications and a need for social support when returning home,” Swiger says. The demand for quality healthcare for veterans is particularly relevant in West Virginia, which has one of the highest numbers of veterans per capita of any state in the U.S.

“Veteran populations face a multitude of different issues, such as low employment rates, mental health complications and a need for social support when returning home.” — TIMOTHY SWIGER, veteran and counseling psychology doctoral student at WVU

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

Unfortunately, specialized healthcare and rehabilitation services can be difficult to find for veterans living in rural areas, and although awareness and treatment for the mental and physical health of veterans is more advanced now than ever before, significant gaps still exist nationwide in the education and evaluation of professionals working with veterans. This is why WVU’s Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and Counseling Psychology (CRCCP) is working to make veterans’ counseling a focus in its classrooms and in faculty-driven research. Department Chair Jeff Daniels has been working with faculty to integrate veteran-focused curricula into all of CRCCP’s programs. One day, while searching for existing literature on the standards used to train and evaluate professionals working with veterans, he was shocked to find that no formal set of competencies — the skills and knowledge necessary for professionals working in a specific field — currently exists for counselors working with veterans and that there is a staggering lack of research in this area. Daniels launched a departmentwide research initiative to address the problem. As a result, department faculty are conducting three studies involving the professional competencies of counseling practitioners who work with veterans, active duty military personnel and their families. Dr. Monica Leppma is the lead researcher of the first study, “Working with Veterans and Military Families: An Assessment of Professional Competencies.” “To practice ethically, mental health professionals must demonstrate competence in tailoring their approaches to be congruent with the unique cultures of their clients.” Additional studies, are being led by Dr. Jennifer Taylor, an assistant professor in the department’s Counseling and Counseling Psychology programs and Dr. George Mamboleo, an assistant professor in the Rehabilitation Counseling program. In his research, which explores the competencies needed for rehabilitation counselors working with veterans, Mamboleo reviewed existing literature and consulted experts in the area and found several consistent

Veterans in West Virginia With one of the highest numbers of veterans per capita of any state in the U.S., quality healthcare for veterans is particularly relevant in West Virginia.

There are

167,355

veterans in West Virginia. Veterans make up

of the total population of the state.

75%

of West Virginia veterans served in wartime.

BRIAN PERSINGER

competencies necessary for rehabilitation counselors working with disabled veterans. Among the competencies they identified are a sufficient knowledge of PTSD and traumatic brain injuries, an awareness and ability to navigate the community and support resources available to veterans, an understanding of the differences between appropriate military and civilian workplace behaviors (to help veterans transition to civilian employment) and knowledge about legislation pertaining to veterans. Mamboleo also found that clinical training programs might not be providing sufficient training in these areas. “As professional psychology continues to move toward competency-based practice, this research into the requisite competencies for practice with veterans and military personnel will hopefully set the gold standard for future psychologists,” Daniels says. “It speaks to the quality of the faculty of West Virginia University that this critically important work is being conducted here.” This academic excellence was enough to capture the interest of Timothy Swiger. After his discharge, he had had aspirations to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology, but while completing his master’s at WVU, he shifted his focus to

CRCCP’s Ph.D. program in counseling psychology. He attributes this change to the opportunity he had to meet with CRCCP’s faculty and administrators, who told him about the department’s plan to implement a military focus in their programs. “Being one of the few schools with this focus, I knew that this program was an exceptional fit,” he says. “Along with highly reputable faculty, the program’s coursework is designed to provide students with the opportunity to become competent within the mental health field.” After graduating from WVU, Swiger hopes to gain employment as a psychologist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He is particularly interested in working with veterans who suffer from PTSD and transition difficulties. As a veteran and a graduate of WVU’s Counseling Psychology program, he will undoubtedly have the unique insight and skills necessary to provide excellent care to his fellow veterans.

SPRING 2016

Faculty Spotlight

DR. KEN ST. LOUIS CHANGES THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH FLUENCY DISORDERS. DR. KENNETH O. ST. LOUIS, an internationally

ELIZABETH ROTH

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

respected professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, was recently honored with a lifetime achievement award from the International Fluency Association. The award is designated for individuals who have had a positive impact on the lives of people with fluency disorders and who have contributed significantly to the advancement of research on fluency disorders. A former stutterer who has spent his entire career crafting books, writing and presenting scientific articles, and, most recently, developing an international database on public stigma toward stuttering, St. Louis could not be more deserving of the accolade. Since 1999, his public stigma research has involved measuring and comparing public attitudes toward stuttering and other stigmatized communication disorders using an instrument he developed called the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Stuttering (POSHAâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;S). St. Louis collected data from around the world by making his tool

The Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering database is made up of:

13,000 39 across

available to responsible researchers for free, in exchange for their raw findings, which he enters into his growing POSHA-S database. So far, the database is made up of the answers from more than 13,000 survey respondents across 39 countries, and has been translated into 25 languages. Since the development of POSHA–S, St. Louis and his colleagues have created two companion instruments to gather additional data: the Appraisal of Stuttering Environment (ASE), which allows clinicians to track the attitudes of families and close friends of stuttering clients, and the POSHA–S/Child, which specifically measures the attitudes of nonstuttering children toward stuttering from as early as three years old. All of these instruments fall under the goals of the International Project on Attitudes Toward Human Attributes (IPATHA), a broad initiative he started in 1999 to spread and collect data and promote awareness and acceptance toward stuttering and other stigmatizing conditions all over the world. Now, St. Louis must prepare to begin an exciting new endeavor: a three-year, phased retirement, which he said he is looking forward to. During this transition, he’ll have to become accustomed to working three-day weeks and making arrangements to hand over his research to colleagues as the bulk of his own involvement in IPATHA comes to a close.

survey respondents

countries, and has been translated into

languages.

He is far from calling it quits, however. In the next three years, St. Louis plans on publishing as much as he can. He recently completed a book about his findings with POSHA–S, entitled “Stuttering Meets Stereotype, Stigma, and Discrimination: An Overview of Attitude Research.” He also plans to revise his book, “Living with Stuttering: Stories, Basics, Resources, and Hope,” featuring stories of individuals who stutter, and to complete a book about group therapy for stuttering based on his experience conducting group therapy at the WVU Speech Center. So far, retirement is sounding like a full-time job. St. Louis is just happy he is going out on the top of his game. He loves doing research and is proud of the significant contribution he has made to the scientific community and the study of communication disorders with POSHA–S and its companion instruments. However, as a researcher, clinician and teacher, he would like to be remembered for something broader: “I would want my professional legacy to be to make life better for people with stuttering and other fluency disorders … by improving their environment, which I think the POSHA–S has a shot at doing,” said St. Louis. “I’ve also done a lot of work with treatment and pioneered an approach to group therapy, and I hope I’ve inspired my former students to make a difference in the lives of stutterers as well.”

SPRING 2016

Special Education

One Classroom at a Time THE DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IS SHARING EFFECTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN CLASSROOMS ACROSS WEST VIRGINIA.

ccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 68 children were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 2010, which is up approximately 45 percent from 1 in 150 in 2002. Autistic traits are being identified in children at younger ages, and steps are being taken in early childhood to improve the quality of life and education of children with autism. However, according to Dr. Christan Coogle, an assistant professor in the special education department, a researchto-practice gap is preventing special education classrooms from implementing new, research-backed teaching strategies that would help children with autism learn. “We need to increase awareness of these evidencebased teaching practices that are beneficial not only for children with autism but also for all children,” she says. To address this need, along with Dr. Naomi Rahn, an assistant professor in the same department, Coogle is taking steps to implement evidence-based teaching practices in early childhood special education classrooms throughout the state. The professors are using their research to conduct interventions in schools in high-need counties in West Virginia and are successfully coaching teachers on how to use what are called “naturalistic teaching strategies,” a term that encompasses a wide range of learning activities that can be embedded in students’ everyday routines. Since the goal of naturalistic teaching is to create learning opportunities for children in authentic, playful settings, the possibilities to implement this strategy are practically limitless, says Rahn. She gives an example of a strategy used in naturalistic teaching: “If we are working with a child on naming colors, instead of sitting them down and showing them flashcards with colors, we would embed the opportunity to practice colors into an art activity by asking the child to label the color they want to use or asking them what color square on the carpet they want to sit on.” “What do you see happening on this page?” is another type of question the professors encourage special education teachers to ask during read-aloud time to facilitate communication with their students. Making read-aloud an active dialogue is an important naturalistic

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strategy that special education teachers can employ to ensure students are engaged and using active listening skills. It also helps them practice verbally communicating what they see and hear going on around them. These strategies are particularly helpful in Rahn’s research, which is focused on developing vocabulary skills for young children with autism and other disabilities. “Children who are at risk due to disabilities are usually behind children who are typically developing and peers from more advantaged environments when it comes to vocabulary acquisition,” Rahn says. “They often come to kindergarten knowing thousands of words less than their peers, so we need to have interventions in place to help catch them up as best we can before they become readers.” Particularly for children with autism, who often have difficulty focusing and communicating in traditional learning settings, this twist on conventional teaching goes a long way. Teaching interventions are either carried out by Rahn and Coogle or under their supervision by undergraduate and graduate students in the special education program using e-coaching — communicating long-distance with early childhood special education teachers via Skype and other modalities — to help educators adapt naturalistic strategies to their classrooms. Much like Rahn’s vocabulary-focused research, Coogle’s work is aimed at increasing functional communication in special education classrooms. In accordance with WVU’s

Autism Facts Autism affects

1 in 68 children.

mission as a land-grant university, Coogle says she and Rahn set out to see if naturalistic teaching strategies could be effectively implemented into classrooms statewide by pre-service and in-service special education teachers provided with adequate coaching, and their results have been encouraging. “We’re learning through our research that we can teach teachers to use these strategies,” Rhan says. Rahn and Coogle have also made an effort to include graduate and undergraduate students in their research and writing, and some of those students have even had the opportunity to co-author their own articles. In fact, an article about decreasing challenging behaviors for children with autism that was co-authored by two undergraduate students in the program is currently in the process of publication, and two others (both with an autism focus) are currently under review. “We see students who are choosing to do research as an elective and coming back to partner with us again and again because they’ve found the experience to be both challenging and extremely meaningful,” Coogle says. “The research that we’re doing with them mirrors what they’re learning in their coursework and provides them with an extra dose of content presented in a different way. In terms of planning and implementing research, working together becomes mutually beneficial for students and faculty and, more importantly, for the children and educators we’re partnering with.”

Boys are nearly five times as likely as girls to be diagnosed with autism.

In 2010, Berkeley County school superintendent Manny Arvon estimated that his district spent a yearly average of

$19,000

per student with autism.

SPRING 2016

Transforming Lives Through Communication WVU STUDENTS MAKE A BIG IMPACT AT CAMP GIZMO. When speech-language and pathology graduate students Emily Gammon, Allison Walsh and Lindsay Woodruff started their master’s program in the WVU College of Education and Human Services, they discovered they would be required to spend five days in July working as camp counselors at Camp Gizmo. At the time, they never imagined that sacrificing a long summer weekend would transform so many lives — not only their own, but those of the children who attend the camp. WRITTEN BY HEATHER RICHARDSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN PERSINGER

SPRING 2016

oused on the campus of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Romney each summer, Camp Gizmo gives West Virginia children from birth to age eight with significant and multiple developmental needs the opportunity to work with students and professionals to identify and apply new strategies for improving their communication challenges. The WVU College of Education and Human Services has been involved for nearly two decades through the efforts of Clinical Assistant Professor Karen Haines, who incorporates the Camp Gizmo experience into the curriculum for speech-language pathology graduate students. Haines has her students take an augmentative communication class to prepare them for their camp experience. It’s then that they apply the concepts learned in the classroom through their work with the children and provide them with another way to communicate.

“[Working at Camp Gizmo] made me realize that working with kids with disabilities is truly a calling.” — EMILY GAMMON, camp counselor at Camp Gizmo The students are trained to work with augmentative devices that are computer based and come programmed with language systems, essentially giving children the ability to generate speech through the device. “The influence that Camp Gizmo has on the children and our students is incredible,” Haines said. “In most cases, the children who attend the camp are faced with communicative disorders that render them non-speaking. Our students provide them with a way to communicate for the first time.”

For Gammon, Walsh and Woodruff, the impact of giving a child the ability to speak and parents the ability to engage in two-way communication with their child was powerful beyond measure. “The child I worked with was two years old and couldn’t retain words for longer than a week,” Walsh said. “Imagine being a parent and living daily with the reality that your child can’t understand what you’re saying. Being involved with bridging that gap is so emotional — it made me realize that working with kids with disabilities is truly a calling.”

Patty Boyce (left) from the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities works with a child in the switch access lab.

The emotion involved in working with children with disabilities — including some as severe as spina bifida and cerebral palsy — was an intense learning experience for these three students. All said they learned an important lesson about the realities of working in a helping profession that they couldn’t have derived through any class or book. “Working with children with disabilities is emotional on a level that we couldn’t have anticipated,” Gammon said. “We often felt overwhelmed by the experience at the end of the day, but we realized that we had to check our emotions to the side to provide these kids with the best services possible.” The trio also realized that maintaining composure and professionalism was equally as important for the families as it was for the children. “We had to be strong and be there for the parents,” Woodruff said. “They are already very emotional because of the realities of what they are facing every day with their child. Going through the whole experience through their eyes really helped us grow, as did the entire Camp Gizmo experience.” One of those parents is Greg Foley, the father of Noah, who started attending Camp Gizmo when he was just 18 months and even took his first steps there. He is now eight years old and Foley said his son has improved his communication ability as a result of the experience.

Johnna Manns (center), graduate clinician in ppeech-language pathology, teaches a child at Camp Gizmo to use a voice output device to communicate.

“The speech-language pathology students from CEHS have been wonderful,” Foley said. “They’ve helped us understand how much Noah can achieve with communication. We’ve witnessed progress; the students have given him the ability to make choices that help him communicate with us.” The impact these students make with his son is written all over Noah’s face, Foley said.

“People just can’t imagine how much they give of themselves to be part of these kids’ lives. It really is touching for the families to see how much they invest in our children.”

“The CEHS students were truly so great with Noah. They always played with him and got him laughing and smiling. People just can’t imagine how much they give of themselves to be part of these kids’ lives. It really is touching for the families to see how much they invest in our children,” he said. That investment in the children is the most rewarding part for Haines, who said her students always come back changed by the experience. “Every year, I have to convince my students to give up five days of their summer break to do this,” Haines said. “But, you know what? They all come back asking if they can go back next year. It is truly a transformative experience for them.” Her students couldn’t agree more. “Professor Haines has helped us realize that we really changed these children’s lives,” Gammon said. “But I can’t emphasize enough how much they’ve changed ours, too.”

—GREG FOLEY, father of Noah, a camper at Camp Gizmo

SPRING 2016

BREAKING THE SILENCE FOR PEOPLE WITH SPEECH DISORDERS, THE WVU SPEECH CENTER GIVES THE GIFT OF COMMUNICATION. WRITTEN BY EMMA CARTE PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN PERSINGER

“Y

ou can see why I love this place,” Annette Watson tells me, as we watch her daughter, Jeran Jones, thrive in her speech therapy session. Jones gives her clinician, speech-language pathology student Lindsey Woodruff, a big bear hug as they review vocabulary cards. “These girls really care.” Watson doesn’t remember exactly how she heard about the WVU Speech Center, but she remembers how desperate she was to help her daughter when they came for their first consultation in 1989. Jones, who was 4 years old at the time and diagnosed with autism, had not yet developed speech, and her mom recalls how it was often a frustrating task for both Jones and her caregivers to meet her most basic needs. “When she was hungry, we would give her something to drink, and when she was thirsty, we would give her something to eat.” Upon their first visit to the center, Watson was immediately struck by how at home she felt, and when she met the center’s coordinator, Karen Haines, she was amazed by the immense knowledge she possessed regarding nonverbal children. At the end of that first visit, the family was sent home with one mind-blowingly simple solution, to be followed by countless others in the coming years: one flashcard with a picture of a cup to symbolize Jones’ thirst, and another with a picture of a sandwich to symbolize her hunger. All she had to do was point, and mealtime confusion was resolved. After that, Jones began attending center biweekly. Nearly 26 years later, she still does, with the help of her family and friends. Watson cannot overstate what an essential opportunity the center has provided for her daughter to learn, grow and most importantly, communicate. “They are always looking for a window through which they can take

her to a higher level. Often, when I the people who help your child, and meet other parents with a nonverbal this center has been such a constant in child, I ask them ‘Have you looked at Jeran’s life since she was 4.” the nearest university? Because they can help you develop a strategy that Much like Watson, Lori Brennan will help your child communicate.’” brought her daughter, Madison, In the 26 years she has been into the center at a young age, attending, Jones has graduated from concerned with her lack of speech two simple cards to thick notebooks development. As time went on, full of stories and schedules that she further developmental issues became carries around with her like her own evident, and Brennan took Maddie to personal encyclopedias. They are a neurologist, who told her, matterspecialized and filled with her favorite of-factly, that she was on the autism things: the places she likes to go, the spectrum. Brennan was handed a food she likes to eat and the people book about the disease and sent on she loves. her way without any alternatives. With rigorous homeschooling Ironically, it was in the book on and the assistance of the center and autism that Brennan found mentioned countless student volunteers, Jones for the first time a rare disease called was also able to make the leap from Rett syndrome. Though many of its picture-based learning to word-based symptoms overlap with other diseases, learning, and she can now read and namely autism, some features, such say some basic words. She even sang as short stature, underdeveloped “Happy Birthday” to her father this year. More than any other place Jones has been, be it homeschool, public school or private programs, the center has provided her and the rest of her family with consistency and a level of care that has exceeded the call of duty. Frequently, as she tells her daughter’s story, Watson can’t help tearing up and smiling. “Sometimes when you have a child with special needs, there really aren’t words large enough to express — ANNETTE WATSON, mother of WVU the gratitude you feel toward Speech Center patient Jeran Jones

“SOMETIMES WHEN YOU HAVE A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, THERE REALLY AREN’T WORDS LARGE ENOUGH TO EXPRESS THE GRATITUDE YOU FEEL TOWARD THE PEOPLE WHO HELP YOUR CHILD.”

LEFT: Jeran works with WVU student Emily Brenner in the Speech Center. RIGHT: Jeran uses this device to learn new words.

SPRING 2016

hands and lack of purposeful hand movement, set it apart. Maddie seemed to fit this description, and Brennan felt she finally had a name to put to her daughter’s struggles. Maddie’s physicians, however, took some more convincing. Although she was tested for Rett syndrome, alternately called RTT, she was only given testing for Phase 1 of the disease, and the results came back negative. After that, the family went through eight physicians, three states and countless incorrect diagnoses — cerebral palsy and Angelman Syndrome, among others — before she was finally given the proper Phase 2 testing for RTT and accurately diagnosed by a doctor in Cleveland at the age of 4. With the diagnosis ordeal finally over, it was time to focus on getting the best treatment for Maddie. Since she first arrived at the center, Haines noticed that Maddie communicated through eye-gaze, and set her and her clinicians to work with an eye-gaze board or “e-Tran,” a clear acrylic glass board to which Maddie’s clinicians are able to attach two or more symbols and observe her eye movements as her gaze moves from one symbol to another. Most recently in therapy, Maddie’s

options have been between a picture of an iPad (a symbol that represents watching a clip of the children’s show “Blue’s Clues”) and a picture of a bag of Goldfish snacks (representing the reward of cheesy foodstuff). Due to the nature of Rett syndrome, Maddie may not develop speech, and her muscle mass and coordination will deteriorate as she ages. For those reasons, eye-gaze technologies are, and will continue to be, her best method of communicating with others. Through the center, she has access to both low-tech communication tools, like the eTran, and high-tech communication tools, such as the Accent with NuEye, which allows her to control a voice output device through eye-gaze. Soon, her mother hopes, they will find software that tests and reinforces skills like math and reading through eye-gaze technology. She knows her daughter has been exposed to these concepts through schooling, and she yearns for a way for Maddie to communicate what she knows to the outside world like other kids do. Until then, Maddie’s family is grateful that the center exists, and she can get

the specialized attention and human interaction she needs from the expert clinicians there. Jones’ mother seconds that sentiment, saying that every person needs intellectual and social stimulation, and for kids and adults with speech disorders, it can be particularly difficult, but critical, to accommodate. “Schools close in the summer, teachers change and she (Jones) aged out of the school system at 18, but she’s still getting stimulation now, here, with her clinicians.”

MORE ABOUT THE WVU SPEECH CENTER: Therapy at the Speech Center is conducted Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the services of a fully certified supervisory staff. During a typical semester, the caseload includes disorders in articulation, adult and child language, fluency and voice. Individual as well as group therapy is offered. Therapy sessions are conducted in nine treatment rooms, each of which is equipped with a two-way mirror and monitoring system. The center also conducts augmentative communication evaluations. There is a video monitoring system and fully equipped laboratory for acoustic and physiologic study of speech disorders. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Melissa Mitchell at 304293-6817 or by emailing Melissa. Mitchell@mail.wvu.edu. Speech Center client Maddie uses the e-Tran to communicate with her clinicians using her gaze.

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

The 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) at WVU has helped employers and individuals with disabilities use this landmark civil rights legislation. WRITTEN BY EMMA CARTE

“Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

—G EORGE H.W. BUSH, upon signing the Americans with Disabilities Act

hen the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed in 1990, it was considered a landmark in civil rights legislation. A major provision of this law was prohibiting workplace discrimination based on a disability. In addition, reasonable accommodations were mandated in both the private and public sectors to improve accessibility and increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Public accommodations such as the ramps, accessible seating at theaters and stadiums, and Braille menus at restaurants are noticeable results of this

technical assistance to anyone who needs legislation. But changes that have taken to know how to accommodate a person place in private companies, which have with a disability in the workplace. The dramatically improved employment passage of the ADA seven years after options, may not be as apparent. JAN’s establishment changed things Such change, however, is never easy. dramatically for the organization, and Fortunately, a service housed within now that law plays a the WVU College of central role in how it Education and Human JAN averages operates. Services provides Dr. D.J. Hendricks has free and customized been working at JAN since accommodation inquiries each year. it began and now serves solution information as the project’s principal to employers and to investigator. In fact, she was involved people with disabilities nationwide. in developing the proposal that initially Since 1983, the Job Accommodation brought this project to West Virginia Network (JAN) has been providing free

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

53,000

Information, which operates the JAN and made some great empowering University. Prior to the ADA, Hendricks project. Recent changes to the ADA’s suggestions.” said the project worked mostly with regulations have meant an increased JAN provides information related larger employers who were looking demand for assistance in understanding to all disabilities, across all types of to diversify their talent pool and who how implementation of this law has jobs and businesses. For example, recognized people with disabilities as a changed. As Daniels points out, “The when a medical technician who is deaf largely untapped resource of potential incredible pace at which our world is could not hear the buzz of a timer employees. changing today places a high demand on necessary for specific laboratory tests, Immediately after implementation the JAN staff to stay aware of the latest JAN suggested that an indicator light of the ADA, Hendricks said calls to technologies and be attached to the equipment instead. JAN’s national how these can be When an office employee with posttoll-free phone JAN has about used to improve traumatic stress disorder and anxiety lines came mainly employment was easily frightened when a coworker from employers opportunities or supervisor walked into the cubicle who needed help website customers. for people with behind him, JAN suggested using a understanding disabilities.” monitor-mounted mirror, so he could the requirements Hendricks adds, “Twenty-five years see the entrance behind him. JAN of the ADA and from people with ago, our data system consisted of a large also suggested placing a sensor mat disabilities who wanted to know what office suite containing row after row of at the entrance of the cubicle, which their rights were under the new law. file cabinets. Every drawer was crammed would make an audible alert when “Our call volume quadrupled literally full of catalogs, flyers and brochures sent anyone stepped on it. These are just overnight,” Hendricks recalls. “We to us by companies who manufactured two examples of the hundreds of watched as a national morning TV show and sold these products. Today, email and thousands of accommodation options posted our toll-free number on the the Internet allow us to stay up-to-theJAN employees have discussed with screen, and every line on our phones lit minute on what is available.” customers over the years. up with calls. It was wonderful, exciting Despite the changing methods used After 25 years, the ADA remains an and a little bit scary all at the same time.” by JAN, one thing hasn’t changed — every essential piece of civil rights legislation, Since then, JAN has continued inquiry is handled by one of the JAN allowing people with all types of to expand as the demand for its staff members. Whether by telephone disabilities to participate more fully in customized approach to addressing the or email, each all aspects of daily accommodation needs of people with request receives a living, including disabilities has steadily increased. JAN JAN is the personal response. employment. is funded by the U.S. Department of This personal As Daniels puts Labor’s Office of Disability Employment interaction is a it, “We’re proud the Policy, and all interactions with JAN are key element to the Job Accommodation both free and completely confidential. successful JAN Network is located Starting out with only four employees, model. Comments at the College of JAN now has a staff of approximately 30 from recent Education and people. The project’s personnel handle consumers of JAN’s Human Services approximately 53,000 requests each services show how here at WVU. For year for information related to making to provide technical assistance for well the project many individuals workplace accommodations, the ADA and job accommodations. works: with a disability, other pertinent legislation. In addition, “My heartfelt JAN has been the the JAN staff operate and maintain an thanks for your expedient response to difference between the ADA being extensive website (askjan.org), are active me. I must tell you that I am absolutely just words on paper and being a lifeacross multiple social media platforms enthralled with the work that your changing piece of legislation. The JAN (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and organization does … I appreciate all that staff provides the knowledge needed to Second Life) and provide more than 100 you have provided. Keep up the good work!” impact attitudes and bring about the live training sessions each year. “Thank you so much. I just want you changes envisioned by those who wrote Providing all of this information to a to know what a valuable resource this is.” the Americans with Disabilities Act and national audience is demanding, said Dr. “Thank you for your time today. You those who championed its passage.” Jeff Daniels. He serves as the director of listened so graciously, asked questions the International Center for Disability

5 MILLION

ONLY SERVICE IN THE COUNTRY

SPRING 2016

Contributions THANK YOU to the following individuals, corporations,

and foundations that have provided gifts to the West Virginia University College of Education and Human Services from January 1 to December 31, 2015. On behalf of the students, faculty and staff, your generosity is greatly appreciated.

ORGANIZATIONAL GIVING

INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Gifts of $100,000 and above

Drs. Thomas P. and Estelle J. Lombardi

Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation

Gifts of $10,000 to $24,999

Gifts of $25,000 to $99,999

Gifts of $10,000 to $24,999

General Electric Company Vecellio Family Foundation, Inc.

Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn R. Groves Mrs. Barbara Groves-Mattox Mrs. Jeanne C. Lanting

Gifts of $5,000 to $9,999

Bank of America Edna Mae Beckett Family Irrevocable Trust ExxonMobil Foundation Matching Gift Program Joseph H. Cook Estate William C. Waters Revocable Trust

Dr. Marino C. Alvarez and Dr. Victoria J. Risko Alvarez Mr. Joseph Cipolloni, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Wilbert D. Mick III Mr. and Mrs. Robert O. Orders, Jr. Mrs. Nancy P. Raley

Gifts of $1,000 to $4,999

Dr. Judy A. Abbott Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Belcastro Dr. William S. Bingman Dr. Joseph A. Bogan David L. and Debra C. Clarke Mr. Walter J. Fitzgerald Dr. and Mrs. Ernest R. Goeres Ms. Hilda R. Heady Mr. and Mrs. Don L. Hoylman Drs. Ranjit and Indira Majumder Mrs. Mary Lou McCullough Dr. Gary L. McKown and Ms. Jill M. Meuser Mr. John S. Mick Mr. and Mrs. Samuel R. Moore, Jr. Mr. Joseph P. Muscatello, Jr. Dr. Anne H. Nardi Dr. Patricia A. Obenauf Mr. and Mrs. Kevin S. Ramsburg Dr. R. Roger Smith Dr. Lydotta M. Taylor and Mr. Larry D. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. & Suzanne W. Weber Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. West Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Witten, Jr.

American Academy of Audiology Foundation Cheat Lake Rotary Club National Stuttering Assocation Scottish Rite Foundation of WV West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services West Virginia University NSSLHA Chapter

Gifts of $1 to $999 Banford and Terri Exley Family Foundation Carol McAvoy Miyashiro Trust Corvallis High School - Class of 1965 Elizabeth Davisson and Abelina Suarez Education Trust General Reinsurance Corporation Janus Development Group, Inc. Leidos Sheetz, Inc. Von Saunder Family Trust

Gifts of $1,000 to $4,999

Gifts up to $999 Mrs. Virginia A. Achenbach Mrs. Linda K. Adamchak Dr. Carole J. Adams

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Ms. Antoinette L. Allen Mrs. Barbara A. Aluise Ms. Barbara M. Anderson Mr. Everette W. Anderson, Jr. Mrs. Patricia S. Anderson Dr. and Mrs. Edgar M. Ansell Dr. and Mrs. C. Brian Arthurs Mrs. Cynthia L. Ashworth Dr. Carolyn P. Atkins Mr. and Mrs. Dennis J. Ault Dr. Ansley Bacon Mrs. Lenore L. Baier Mrs. Betty M. Bailey Mrs. Carol W. Banks Mr. Robert G. Bartlett Mrs. Mildred L. Bennett Dr. Malayna B. Bernstein Mrs. Marion M. Berryhill Mr. and Mrs. William N. Beynon Ms. Sharon G. Billeter Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur H. Black Dr. Charles G. Blewitt Mr. Dennis W. Bobo, Jr. Ms. Susan A. Boettcher Mrs. Donna K. Bohach Mrs. Martha J. Bolyard Mrs. Barbara J. Bowes Mrs. Marjorie L. Brant Mrs. Del M. Brenn Dr. and Mrs. Dennis F. Brestensky Dr. Robert H. Brick Ms. Diane D. Brown Mrs. Sharon K. Brown Ms. Victoria C. Bruhn Mr. and Mrs. Leon E. Bucher Mrs. Jeanne D. Bugyis Ms. Judith A. Burns Mrs. Mary E. Burris Ms. Dawn R. Burt Mrs. Margaret G. Cadle Mr. and Mrs. Christopher M. Campbell Mr. and Mrs. Graham A. Campbell Dr. Matthew P. Campbell Mr. Adam D. Cantley Mrs. Debra K. Cantrell Susan C. Capelle MD, P.L.L.C Dr. Jane S. Cardi Mrs. Nancy L. Carman Mr. and Mrs. Larry K. Carpenter Mrs. Barbara M. Castille Mrs. Donna S. Chandler Mr. Wendell G. and Dr. Janice B. Christopher Mr. Jay S. Church Dr. and Mrs. Stanley H. Cohen Mr. Clifton R. Colebank Mr. and Mrs. John J. Connors Dr. James E. Cook

Mrs. Norabelle S. Corra Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth L. Cosky Mrs. Marga C. Cothran Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth D. Cover Mr. Jon P. Cox Ms. Mary Jean Crider Mr. and Mrs. Charles V. Critchfield Dr. and Mrs. James L. Culberson Mrs. Gloria P. Cunningham Dr. Reagan P. Curtis Dr. Allison S. Dagen Mr. Michael Dahlin Mrs. Elaine Darrow Mrs. Amelia J. Dascenzo Father Joseph A. Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aurora Dr. and Mrs. Yadin David Ms. Kathryn A. Davis Mrs. Mary M. Davis Mrs. Ann M. Davis Miss Stephanie L. Davison Dr. Lisa DeFrank-Cole and Dr. Jay Cole Ms. Susan Demeules Dr. Gypsy M. Denzine Mr. and Mrs. Christopher P. Derico Mrs. Holly Detts-Dranzo Dr. Carol S. Diehl Ms. Susan E. Donovan Dr. Elizabeth A. Dooley and Mr. Cornell Newbill Ms. Jacqueline A. Dooley Mr. Matthew D. Dotson Ms. Shirley V. Downs Mrs. Julie A. Drennen Ms. Kathleen J. DuBois Mrs. Janice S. Dubois Ms. Jean A. Duncan Drs. Shirley C. and Gerald V. Eagan Dr. Tanya L. Easton Dr. Christopher W. Edwards Miss Jennifer L. Eller Dr. Joy A. Elliott Dr. Larren K. Elliott Dr. and Mrs. William D. Ellis III Mrs. Pamela A. Emch Mr. Peter F. Episcopo Mr. Joseph R. Ervin, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Everett Mrs. Sharon B. Everetts Mrs. Lynne V. Exley Ms. Lisa Eye-Mangini Dr. Joy L. Faini Saab Ms. Barbara J. Fairbairn Mrs. Joleen M. Fennell Mrs. Cynthia C. Fickes Mrs. Doris A. Fiddler Dr. Ewaugh F. Fields Ms. Kathy Finsley Mrs. Lynn B. Firebaugh

Mrs. Faith S. Foltz Mr. Blair Foster Mrs. Jamie H. French Mr. and Mrs. James E. Fridley Dr. and Mrs. Carl H. Friebel, Jr. Mr. William H. Friedl Mr. Joseph J. Fritsch Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Gagliardi Dr. Merna D. P. Galassi and Mr. John P. Galassi Rebecca and Dave Gaspar Mr. and Mrs. Clifford W. Gay, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John F. Gerard Dr. Roger L. Gill Mr. Stephen J. Gissy and Dr. Cynthia L. Gissy Ms. Sheila S. Golden Mr. David E. Goodwin Mrs. Evelyn M. Goudy Mr. and Mrs. Amon Grantham Dr. Adam S. Green Mrs. Jeannette M. Gregg Ms. Beverly L. Griffith Mr. Joseph E. Griffith Ms. Susan Grogan-Johnson Mrs. Larelda B. Gruber Ms. Mary E. Haas Dr. Mary E. Haas Mrs. Priscilla A. Haden Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. Hale Mrs. Margaret M. Hall Mrs. Doreen L. Hall Mrs. Marilee S. Hall Dr. Brandon Hall Ms. Barbara Hannah Mrs. Gail G. Harbaugh Mr. Robert D. Harman Ms. Lucinda K. Hart Mr. and Mrs. Stephen E. Hastings Ms. Donna S. Hastings Dr. Patricia A. Haught Drs. Richard B. and Judy H. Helm Mrs. Lois W. Henck Dr. Robin A. M. Hensel Dr. and Mrs. Brian M. Hershey Dr. David E. Hess, MD Mrs. Karen S. Hickman Mrs. Pamela M. Hill Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Hill Mr. and Mrs. J. Stephen Horr Mrs. Ann M. Howieson Mrs. Rosemary Hriblan Dr. Jun Hu Dr. Ronald W. Hull Mrs. Jean B. Humphreys Ms. Sarah Hursh Mr. and Mrs. Roger L. Hyde Dr. and Mrs. Ronald V. Iannone Mr. and Mrs. Ray F. Isaacs

Mrs. Candace K. Johnson Mrs. Rachel I. Johnson Mrs. Sandra S. Jones Mrs. Ruthmarie S. Junkins Mr. Ronald P. Justice, Jr. Dr. Ugur Kale Mrs. Carolyn J. Keagler Mrs. Ella L. Keener Mr. Michael P. Kelman Mr. and Mrs. Edward G. Kennedy Dr. and Mrs. Edward R. Kennedy Dr. David I. Kennedy Mrs. Constance L. Kepner Mr. William J. Kerr and Mrs. Diana L. Kerr Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Kerzak Drs. Michael J. and Lesley A. Klishis Mr. Andrew T. Knotts Mr. David Koval Mrs. Linda G. Kratsas Mrs. Rose M. Kutz Mr. and Mrs. Howard P. Lafave Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Laick Dr. Martha J. Lake Dr. Natalie A. Lambright Dr. Naomi E. Lamm Dr. Charlotte N. Landvoigt Dr. and Mrs. Norman J. Lass Mrs. Diantha B. Lavoie Mrs. Jacqueline L. Law Mr. Charles L. Layman Mrs. Brenda C. Lee and Mr. Clarence E. Lee Mrs. Lora E. Lewis Dr. Suanne M. Lewis Ms. Patricia A. Littleton Mrs. Carol A. Loar Drs. Roger A. and Nancy Lohmann Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Long Mr. and Mrs. James A. Looney Mr. Ralph C. Lucki Dr. Barbara L. Ludlow Dr. Donna J. Lukich Mrs. Amy M. Lutz Dr. E. Joy Lynch Dr. Robert D. Lyons, Jr. Ms. Diann R. Manns Ms. Robin E. Markson Dr. Melonie S. Marple Ms. Pamela B. Martin Mr. Adam J. Mathias Ms. Karen L. McAvoy Mr. and Mrs. Brooks F. McCabe, Jr. Dr. Theresa E. McCormick Mr. Larry E. McCullough Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. McCullough Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. McDonald Ms. Darcy K. McDowell Craig and Lynda McKay

Mr. and Mrs. Harold D. McVey Dr. Richard F. Meckley Dr. Betty M. Mei Mr. and Mrs. Gary R. Meredith Mr. and Mrs. C. David Miller Mrs. Carol H. Miller Dr. and Mrs. Bob D. Mills Mr. and Mrs. George R. Milne Mrs. Beth A. Mitchell Mrs. Stacy D. Mitchell Mr. Timothy L. and Dr. Katherine Mitchem Mrs. Carol M. Miyashiro Ms. Kimberly D. Mocniak Mr. Joseph T. Monahan Mrs. Judith K. Mountjoy Mrs. Alice T. Muffly Mrs. Carolyn M. Mullett Ms. Elizabeth H. Mullett Mr. and Mrs. William E. Mullett Dr. and Mrs. Charles K. Murray Mr. Grant P. Murray Mr. Scott C. Murray Mr. Todd Murray Dr. and Mrs. William A. Myers Mr. Joseph W. Neely Ms. Lois H. Nelson Mr. Tommy L. Nester Ms. Tracy A. Novak Dr. and Mrs. Jon R. Oberly Drs. Robert F. and Jennifer E. Orlikoff Ms. Marian L. Ours Mr. Christopher G. Owen Mrs. Anne C. Palmerine Drs. Artis J. and Linda A. Palmo Dr. Tyrone F. Parker Mr. R. Pastor Mrs. Betty E. Pastorius Mr. Paul C. Pawlowski

Mr. David E. Peercy and Mrs. Martha D. Peercy Dr. Michael T. Perone and Ms. Dorothy Vesper Dr. and Mrs. Everett J. Pesci Mr. and Mrs. Randy K. Pettigrew Dr. Kathy B. Phillips Mrs. Margaret J. Pickering Mr. and Mrs. James R. Pokrzywa Mr. and Mrs. Leon A. Pollack Ms. Laura J. Porter Mr. and Mrs. Clarence O. Pugh Ms. Monna L. Pugh Ms. Sally A. Pulice Mrs. Roberta E. Purdy Ms. Mandy Putnam Dr. and Mrs. Edward C. Pytlik Mrs. Elizabeth L. Quinn Dr. and Mrs. Paul J. Rach, Jr. Dr. Naomi L. Rahn Ms. Victoria A. Railing Dr. Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez Mrs. Benjean Rapp and Mr. John K. Rapp Dr. and Mrs. Henry W. Rauch Dr. Vishakha W. Rawool Mrs. Margaret C. Rector Mr. John J. Rector Mr. and Mrs. Nickie J. Regillo Miss Margradel Richmond Mrs. Patricia K. Riepe Mr. John W. Riffe and Dr. Jane B. Riffe Mr. Mathew Ritz Mrs. Elaine S. Robbins Dr. J. Kenneth Roberts Dr. Gwendolyn S. Rosenbluth Dr. and Mrs. Paul W. Rosier Ms. Elizabeth L. Ross Ms. Rosemary Rossiter

THANK YOU to our supporters this year who

joined the Irvin Stewart Society, making a future gift commitment to the College, and to those who supported the college through the establishment of permanent endowed funds. Irvin Stewart Society William S. Bingman, ’65 ’67 ‘72 Kathryn A. Davis, ’70 ‘71 Wilbert D. Mick III, ‘78 Judith Mountjoy, ‘62 Christopher G. Owen, ‘95 Mary Margaret Spica

New Endowments Edna and James M. (June) Beckett, Jr. Scholarship Lombardi Family Special Education Endowment Marino C. and Victoria J. Risko Alvarez Scholarship Mary Ault Groves Education Scholarship

SPRING 2016

Dr. and Mrs. Dennis Ruscello Dr. Michael J. Ryan and Mrs. Patricia S. Ryan Dr. and Mrs. James A. Rye Ms. Sheryl A. Sanctis Ms. Jane E. Sanders Homitsky Ms. Jennifer L. Santilli Dr. and Mrs. G. H. Budd Sapp Mr. and Mrs. Irving D. Seager Mr. Steve Schimmel and Dr. Christine L. Schimmel Ms. Jane T. Schneider Dr. Lynne R. Schrum

Gifts up to $999 continued Mr. and Mrs. Sam Scolapio, Jr. Mrs. Becky Shonk Sheets Ms. Jan B. Sheldon Mr. Michael K. Sheldon Dr. and Mrs. Edward W. Shirley Mr. and Mrs. Howard E. Shouffler Jerry and Jane Shuren Ms. Donna P. Simmons Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Simpson, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Dan Sizemore Dr. and Mrs. Albert N. Skomra Dr. and Mrs. Leslie C. Smedley Dr. M Cecil Smith Ms. Mary R. Smith Mr. James Smith Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Sole, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Larry G. Spees Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Speiser Miss Donna L. Staggs Mr. and Mrs. William E. Stahl Ms. Carol Steager Ms. Amanda M. Stevens Dr. and Mrs. David L. Stewart Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Stewart Ms. Jacqueline Stocking Dr. Elizabeth R. Street Dr. Francis J. Super Mrs. Reta G. Suter Mrs. Rita D. Tanner Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Tanner, Jr. Dr. Nancy S. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Henry G. Theierl, Jr. Mrs. Jill A. Thomas Dr. Judith A. W. Thomas Dr. William R. Thompson Mr. Wayne G. Thomson Dr. Douglas L. Timmons Mr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Tinder Ms. Kay M. Toben Mr. and Mrs. Stephen J. Tomaino Ms. Carolyn A. Torris Mrs. Phyllis A. Totten Mr. and Mrs. David C. Tucker Mr. Paul G. Ugolini Mr. and Mrs. Thomas K. Unger Mr. John C. Vanmeter William and Judith Victorson Mr. Daniel Vidovich

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence G. Vogler Mrs. Alice M. Von Saunder Mrs. Barbara K. Wagner Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Walden Ms. Diane L. Wallace Dr. and Mrs. W. Dale Walls Mrs. Janet K. Walls Dr. and Mrs. Richard T. Walls Mrs. Nancy A. Wankmuller Dr. Barbara G. Warash Ms. Nancy P. Waring Mrs. Judith E. Warner Dr. and Mrs. Robert A. Waterson Mr. Neal M. Watzman Dr. Susan J. Weaver Ms. Frances S. Welch Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Welty Howard and Gretchen West Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Whipp Mr. and Mrs. Peter S. White, CLU Mrs. Margaret R. White Mrs. Sherri R. Whitely Ms. Carole J. Wiedebusch Dr. and Mrs. William J. Wilhelm Dr. Nancy R. Williams Miss Elaine K. Wilt Mrs. Mary Ann Wollerton Dr. Diane T. Woodrum Leuthold and Mr. Peter P. Leuthold Dr. Matthew A. Woolsey Mrs. Mary A. Wright Mr. and Mrs. Ronald R. Yoder Ms. Joanne M. Yurik Dr. Thomas Zane Mrs. Etta O. Zasloff Mr. and Mrs. Randal N. Zinn

WVU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

By the Numbers

CEHS has more than

30,000 50% alumni.

are West Virginia residents.

The Five-Year Teacher Education program partners with

29 schools 120 students

in West Virginia counties and graduates an average of

each year.

The Job Accommodation Network fielded a record

3,155 phone calls

relating to workplace accommodations and disability employment during August 2015.

50 clients 15 clients.

Each week, the WVU Speech Center serves more than and the WVU Hearing Center serves more than

In Memory

Daniel Eugene Hursh West Virginia University Professor Emeritus Daniel Eugene Hursh passed away peacefully at home in Morgantown, W.Va., on July 22, 2015, at the age of 68. Hursh was a gifted and respected academic whose legacy will continue through the many students he taught and mentored in his distinguished career. Above all, he was a kind and loving father and grandfather who treasured the time he spent with family. Hursh was born March 11, 1947, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Paul Eugene Hursh and Estella Loretta Cox Shackelford (both deceased). He was raised in Corvallis, Ore., and spent most of his professional life at WVU. His sister, Lori Hursh Rathie, and his brother, Nicholas Paul Hursh (deceased), were dear to him, as were his nieces and nephews. He cherished the time he spent with his children, Megan Hursh Murray and Sarah Hursh Huling; with their husbands, Jerry Murray and Jason Huling; with his grandchildren, Tillie, Sophia and Sage; and with his loving partner, Mandy Putnam. Hursh earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Oregon; a master’s in human development from the University of Kansas; and a Ph.D. in developmental and child psychology from the University of Kansas. He served as an assistant professor of psychology at Western Michigan University; and as a research psychologist and director of school programs at the Carolyn Center in North Carolina, before finding his long-term academic home (39 years) in 1975 at WVU. At the time of his retirement in 2014, Hursh was serving as a professor and department chair (nine years) in the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development, and as an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology. He was a teacher of teachers whose students are carrying on his legacy of educating children throughout the world. Among his many accomplishments, Hursh was the founding editor of the professional journal Education and Treatment of Children.

He was nationally known for his expertise in the area of behavioral theory and interventions; for conducting research on and teaching students about designing positive supports for challenging behaviors using applied behavior analysis; developing academic knowledge and skills through direct instruction; and applying evidence-based practices in education via the application of the competent learner model with both typical and atypical learners. He engaged in a variety of collaborative projects with colleagues within the College of Education and Human Services as well as in Health Sciences and Psychology. He most recently helped to design the College’s new graduate program in applied behavior analysis. He chaired and served on numerous doctoral committees and maintained close relationships with many individuals who went on to become leaders in higher education and business across the country. Hursh was a practitioner of yoga and meditation and was a longtime member of the Morgantown Zen Buddhist Temple, where he was an inspirational role model. Hursh’s family requests that donations be made to the Dr. Daniel E. Hursh Development of Competent Learners Fund, Fund #2W883. PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN PERSINGER This Fund shall support general education teachers and those who assist them to develop competent learners. Funds will be awarded in the name of the Dr. Daniel E. Hursh Development of Competent Learners Fund. Visit mountaineerconnection.com/cehs to make a gift online. Select the designation as other and reference fund #2W883. To mail a check, send to the address below, referencing fund #2W883 in the memo line. WVU Foundation One Waterfront Place PO Box 1650 Morgantown, WV 26507

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Morgantown, WV Permit No. 34 Allen Hall, 355 Oakland Street PO Box 6122 Morgantown, WV 26505-6122

cehs.wvu.edu ollege of Education and C Human Services — WVU @WVU_CEHS

GIVE FOR THE FUTURE. A planned gift investment in the College of Education and Human Services helps prepare the College and its constituents for future success.

For more information on giving to the College or making a planned gift, please contact Amy Lutz at 304-293-3261 or amy.lutz@mail.wvu.edu. cehs.wvu.edu/alumni-and-giving

My experience as a student in the College of Education and Human Services helped provide me with the knowledge and skills that have done much to advance my career. Making a planned gift allows me to support the future success of WVU and the programs that do so much.” — Christopher Owen, ’95 System Analyst Manager, VeriSign