Mrs. Jennifer Pandolfo is the associate director and director of services at Sights for Hope. She is going to tell us about the services that Sights for Hope provides to support visually impaired people in achieving independent living and improving their quality of life and the resources that Sights for Hope provides for visually impaired youth to learn, adapt, and reach their full potential in life and education. We will learn how we can help to make visually impaired people more included in education, in the workforce, and in society.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization (BBBS) has been helping children reach their potential for over a century. Mr. Tyrone Fisher, Director of Volunteer Engagement at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley (BBBSLV), is leading the Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) task force and is a member of African American Business Council of Lehigh Valley. Mr. Fisher will talk about all the mentoring programs at BBBSLV, especially the unique one-on-one mentoring between Bigs and Littles to tap into the great power of role models. He will also talk about the dedication of the organization to the community and the impact that they have made over the 50 years of the LV branch. 

Mr. Neil McDevitt, a Gallaudet University graduate, is the first deaf, directly elected mayor in the US. He has also been the executive director of the Deaf-Hearing Communication Center (DHCC) in the Philadelphia area for 10 years. He can not only communicate via American Sign Language (ASL) but also in spoken English. It is truly amazing and inspirational to hear him talk. Mr. McDevitt will share his personal experience as not only a deaf person but also a leader in the deaf community. More importantly, we will learn how we can help to make the deaf community more included in education, in the workforce, and in society.

Two years ago, I created a research project about American Sign Language in the history of communication and deaf education. During my research, I interviewed leaders of deaf organizations and several educators from Gallaudet University (a university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing). From my interviews with deaf people, the family of deaf people, and deaf educators, I learned about the status and gaps in deaf education and social equality and inclusion issues for deaf people. Hearing these stories about deaf education brought me to think of DEI in general in education and led me to creating this podcast.

Like no two potatoes are the same, each person is also different, that makes DEI in education critical for a successful and inclusive society. In this podcast, I will be interviewing leaders from education departments, college admissions, K-12 schools, and organizations for the disabled or disadvantaged. They will share insights about current status, gaps, and policies in inclusive education across the nation, promote education equality and encourage efforts to close these gaps. I hope the inspirational stories from The Edutators will encourage everyone to get involved in efforts for DEI in education and empower young people to reach their full potential.