A Conversation with Mary D. McGinnis!
The Listening Brain
Mary McGinnis is a teacher of the deaf and Listening and Spoken Language Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist. She is the former Director of the John Tracy Clinic Graduate Program, and continues to teach auditory-verbal courses for the JTC Graduate Program. She’s also a consultant for Aurea Lab in Mexico City, working with families and professionals, and helping to create assessment materials in Spanish. She has worked with children with hearing differences and their families for over 55 years, with experience teaching infants through adults, and families from around the world. She was a...
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A Conversation with Carly Sygrove, Hearing Loss Coach!
The Listening Brain
Carly Sygrove is a and a hearing health writer who has single-sided deafness. She writes about living with hearing loss at and manages an for people with hearing loss. She is also the founder of the website, a source of information and support for people affected by sudden hearing loss. In her previous career, Carly worked for 14 years as an Early Years teacher in various countries, including the UK, China, Thailand, and Spain, where she currently lives with her partner, Stuart. Outside of hearing health advocacy, Carly enjoys yoga, baking, and walking in the Spanish countryside. ...
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A Conversation with Erin Thompson, of the Children's Cochlear Implant Center at UNC-Chapel Hill!
The Listening Brain
Erin Thompson, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT has been working with the Children's Cochlear Implant Center at UNC since July 2004. She earned her Bachelors from Appalachian State University and her Master’s in Speech and Hearing Sciences from UNC-Chapel Hill. She completed her clinical fellowship year with Pediatric Speech and Language Services out of Greensboro and became a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist in 2009. Erin conducts Listening and Spoken Language parent participation sessions, speech and language diagnostics for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, as well as...
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A Conversation with Sydney Bassard, The Listening SLP!
The Listening Brain
Sydney Bassard, MSP, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in working with individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing and literacy. She owns The Listening SLP, her private practice and social media brand. Sydney creates graphics to promote healthy equity of information. ________________________________ You can listen to this episode wherever you stream podcasts and at
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A Conversation with Paige Stringer of the Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss!
The Listening Brain
Paige Stringer, M.A., M.P.H -- Paige is the Founder and Executive Director of the Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss. Born with a severe to profound hearing loss, Paige benefitted from early identification and early intervention services as a baby to learn to listen and speak. In 2009, she established the Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss (GFCHL) to help young children who are deaf or hard of hearing and living in developing countries access the locally-based services that they need to listen, talk, and thrive. Prior to her current role as the...
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A Conversation with Wendy Visser, Auditory Skills Therapist & Telepractitioner
The Listening Brain
Wendy D. Visser, MEd, Dipl. AV Studies, is an Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Wendy has her Masters in Education, a Postgraduate Certificate in Auditory Verbal Studies and is an Auditory Skills Therapist. In addition to being a Content Creator at the 3C Digital Media Network, she is also a Course Consultant for SoundIntuition. With more than 25 years of teaching experience, Wendy has been a classroom teacher for grades 6-10, developed and taught Geography and History for high school ESL students, an itinerant resource teacher with a focus on autism...
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A Conversation with Kathy Dowd of The Audiology Project!
The Listening Brain
Dr. Kathy Dowd worked in audiology settings for school systems, as state hearing impaired supervisor, ENT clinics and private practice for 36 years. Dr. Dowd is currently the Executive Director of The Audiology Project, a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness of the impact of chronic diseases, ototoxic medications and other medical issues affecting hearing. She was credited with helping the Centers of Disease Control to add audiology to their diabetes care model in 2021, with the support of Audiology professional organizations. Dr. Dowd’s work now is...
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A Conversation with Jasmine Simmons, Audiologist, Advocate, and Author!
The Listening Brain
Dr. Jasmine Simmons was born in Columbus, Ohio and currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida. Her journey in the field of Audiology is marked by dedication, resilience, and a relentless commitment to inclusivity and advocacy. Dr. Simmons' educational path began at the University of Akron, where she obtained her undergraduate degree. Her determination for knowledge and passion for audiology led her to Central Michigan University, where she earned her Doctorate in Audiology, solidifying her expertise in the field. What makes Dr. Jasmine Simmons truly unique is her personal journey. Born...
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A Conversation with Donna Smiley, Chief Staff Officer for Audiology, at ASHA!
The Listening Brain
You can also listen to this episode on: Donna Smiley, Ph.D., CCC-A is the Chief Staff Officer for Audiology at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She works with the ASHA teams in Audiology Practices, Accreditation, Certification and Ethics. Prior to coming to ASHA, she was the coordinator for the Educational Audiology/Speech Pathology Resources for Schools (EARS) Program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Smiley has practiced audiology for 33 years, co-authored a textbook about school-based audiology practice (Title: School-Based Audiology;...
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A Conversation with Tracy B. Pate of The Listening Center at Arkansas Children's Hospital!
The Listening Brain
Tracy B. Pate, M.S., CCC-SLP, Listening and Spoken Language Specialist/ Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist, is the Program Coordinator for The Listening Center at Arkansas Children's Hospital. The Listening Center is an evaluation, therapy, and consultation program designed for the development of listening and spoken language skills for children and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing. For the past thirty years, she has worked exclusively with this population. Her responsibilities include working directly with families to educate and empower them on issues related to...
info_outlineAdam Chitta is a music educator in San Antonio, Texas, who has been wearing behind-the-ear hearing aids following the diagnosis of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at age 7. For the past twelve years, he has been teaching band and orchestra in the North East Independent School District. In this podcast interview, Adam shares his experiences of growing up with hearing loss and his journey through music in learning how to play musical instruments alongside his “hearing” twin brother, Stephen.
Since completing his master’s degree in music education from Texas State University in May 2021, Adam has been on a journey to promote advocacy and raise awareness of how to best teach and reach DHH students in the music classrooms. His past professional presentations include the Cambridge University Press Accessibility Champions Virtual Talk, ALPSP (Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers) Virtual University Press Redux Conference, Colorado Music Educators Association Clinic/Conference, and the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/ Convention. Adam actively seeks out newer techniques that can be utilized in the current music classrooms, of which include being a Teacher Affiliate for Soundbrenner Metronome products.
Alongside being a music educator, Adam has a strong background in the marching arts. This includes his five years of being a brass performer for the Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps, and a visual instructor for the Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps, Glassmen Drum & Bugle Corps, and Guardians Drum & Bugle Corps. He also worked with winter guard and indoor percussion in the Houston area as a visual instructor, drill designer, administrative assistant, and director.
Adam serves as a role model and mentor to children and parents who may be facing challenges with their child wanting to succeed in their growth with music education. Anyone, including teachers, who would like to contact Adam for more tips, tools, or strategies for DHH students can reach him at [email protected] and can join his Facebook group, “Music is for ALL in our Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community.” Qualifying for the deaf tuition waiver through the Texas Health and Human Services has helped Adam and his family with financial assistance through his higher education journey and he strongly recommends all DHH students in Texas to look into this program.
You can listen to this episode wherever you stream podcasts and at www.3cdigitalmedianetwork.com/the-listening-brain-podcast