Heuser Hearing & Language Academy is privileged to be the home of such a wonderful, talented and committed teaching staff. Our classroom instructors are all master’s-level deaf educators and our arts program is in the hands of experienced specialists with deep knowledge and understanding of the unique needs of Heuser’s students.
Our teachers are as committed to helping students today as their predecessors who founded this school and volunteered their time to help children were. Children with hearing, speech and processing challenges can learn to thrive with the right treatment plan and educational foundation. Here are the people who help make that happen — our teachers!
Teachers
Debbie Woods
Education Director
Debbie Woods has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education and spent 15 years as an elementary school teacher before entering the field of early intervention. Along with these degrees, Debra holds two graduate teaching certifications for dual sensory impairment and deaf and hard of hearing. After her teaching career, Debbie worked with the…
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Sydney Creason
Teacher of the Deaf
Sydney Creason has taught at Heuser Hearing & Language Academy since 1999. She received her bachelor’s degree in deaf and hard of hearing education with elementary education from Eastern Kentucky University. She has a master’s degree in education of the deaf from Smith College in Massachusetts. Sydney has worked with every age level at HHLA and even spent…
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Katie Fromholt
Teacher of the Deaf
Katie (Massey) Fromholt, M.S., NBCT, has taught at HHLA since the fall of 2009. She received her bachelor’s degree in deaf and hard of hearing education with elementary education and her master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education from Eastern Kentucky University. Katie also holds a developmental interventionist certificate and works as a Developmental Interventionist/Teacher…
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Linda Lotspeich
Teacher of the Deaf
Linda Lotspeich has been teaching deaf and hard of hearing students since the early 1990s. She has a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and a master’s degrees from the University of Arizona and Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. She taught at the Texas School for the Deaf, the Plano Regional Day School for the Deaf and…
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Katie Telek
Teacher of the Deaf
Katie Telek received her Bachelor of Science in education of the deaf and hard of hearing with middle grade mathematics from Eastern Kentucky University in 2017. Katie is currently pursuing her master’s in interdisciplinary early childhood education from Eastern Kentucky University with plans to graduate in the spring of 2020. She is originally from Richmond,…
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Dorie Smith
Preschool Teacher
Ms. Dorie has worked in early childhood education for more than 30 years. She received her associate’s degree from JCC and her Bachelor of Science from Campbellsburg University. Dorie has been with JCPS since 2013. She is honored to be the teacher of the Jump Start class of 3 to 4 year olds at Heuser…
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Jill Hedges
Art Therapist
S. Jill Hedges is a licensed professional counselor (LPCC), a licensed professional art therapist (LPAT) and a registered play therapist (RPT). Jill received her Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University at Bloomington in 1978. She was an exchange student at the Hamburg Art Academy (HFBK) and the University of Hamburg in Germany from 1976-77. In…
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Kristin Kelly
Speech-Language Pathologist
Kristin Kelly has been the speech-language pathologist serving Heuser Hearing & Language Academy through Jefferson County Public Schools since 2005. She graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor of Art in Communication Disorders and from Vanderbilt University with a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology. She holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech…
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Becky Wilkinson
Teacher of the Deaf - STREAM Lab
Becky Wilkinson is a seasoned teacher of the hearing impaired having taught for 44 years in Ohio and Kentucky. She received degrees in elementary education and hearing impaired education from Bowling Green State University. She later received her master’s degree and early childhood certification from the University of Louisville. Becky previously taught at Heuser Hearing…
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Shelby Wilson
Teacher of the Deaf
Shelby Wilson received her Bachelor of Science in education of the deaf and hard of hearing with a focus on elementary education from Eastern Kentucky University in 2014. Shelby then graduated with her master’s in interdisciplinary early childhood education from Eastern Kentucky University in 2017. She has been teaching deaf and hard of hearing students…
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Laura Azahar
Teacher of the Deaf
Laura started at Heuser as a substitute teacher in 2016 and then worked as an instructional assistant for Katie Fromholt from 2016-2018. She fell in love with teaching the deaf and in 2018 decided to go back to school for her Master of Arts in early intervention deaf education at Fontbonne University at St. Louis,…
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Doris Jeffries
Teacher’s Assistant
Doris Jeffries has worked at Heuser Hearing & Language Academy since 1999. After serving three years in the US Army during the Vietnam War, she received her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1976. She continues her education at the University of Louisville, majoring in art therapy. She will…
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Mary Martin
Teacher’s Assistant
Mary Martin has worked for JCPS as an early childhood assistant since 2004. She graduated from Manual High School and attended Jefferson Community College. She is a mother to three daughters and grandmother to five. She loves spending time with her grandchildren.
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Melissa Twyman
Teacher’s Assistant
Melissa Twyman joined Heuser Hearing & Language Academy in 2013 and has worked as an instructional assistant with all age levels. Prior to joining Heuser, she was an instructional assistant at Auburndale Elementary. She also worked as a court liaison and an administrative assistant for a doctor’s office. Originally from Louisville, Melissa couldn’t imagine being…
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Brooke Pinkley
Teacher’s Assistant
Brooke Pinkley joined the team as a teacher's assistant for the 2018-2019 school year. She has several years of experience as a nanny and private tutor with children of all ages and varying learning capacities. She has also worked with organizations such as Best Buddies and EDGE, which seek to further educational goals, build friendships…
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Hallie Garvue
Teacher’s Assistant
Hallie has been associated with Heuser since her little sister attended the school from 2008-2011. She volunteered for many years and enjoys watching the children grow and improve their communication skills. Hallie is looking to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders with the hope of becoming a speech language pathologist. Thanks to Heuser, Hallie…
Read MoreCall Heuser Hearing Institute at (502) 636-2084 for more information about Heuser Hearing & Language Academy.
