Adult panelists, 9th Annual Symposium
Our moderator for the Adult Panel Session is Al Vadon,MA, who has been an NLDA board member for several years. Al holds two master?s degree, one in reading specialization (withemphasis in adult literacy) from Kean University, and the other incommunications from Michigan State. Hecurrently teaches in the areas of reading and writing at two colleges in NewJersey. In addition, he has alsobeen instrumental in creating and facilitating two NLDA support groups on theEast Coast
NLDA thanks the following groupof adults with NLD, who have graciously consented to serve on the adult panel atour 9th Annual NLDA symposium:
1. Kacie Berghoef– Chicago,Illinois. Kacie is a college student at Scripps College in Claremont, CA. She is a junior majoring in philosophy and minoring in psychology. She isvery involved in music in college in choir, voice, and orchestra, and figuredskated competitively until age 18.
2. Richard Chefitz– Brookline, Massachusetts- 32 years old. Richard has both NLD andAsperger’s, and he currently works as a file clerk at a hospital.
3. Amy Tecosky-Feldman isfrom New Jersey. Amy just recently completed her doctorate in education.
She is married and has two children, including a child with NLD. At this year?s symposium she is presentinga poster session, dealing with enhancing adaptive measures taken by adults withlearning disabilities to cope with their environments.
4. Wendy Garfield– Berkeley, California. Wendy has worked invarious positions over the years and continues to persevere through difficultpersonal circumstances to learn and to improve her situation. She has interest in many aspects of theater. Her volunteer work at the past several NLDA symposia has been in diverseareas and has been invaluable.
5. Fr. Steve Morrisey– Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada- 36 years old. Fr. Morrisey is fluently bilingual in both English and French, and he is alsolearning Spanish. He has been an ordained Roman Catholic priest since1996. He is the head football coach for the local Catholic high schoolteam.
6. Maria Pica– Baltimore,Maryland. Maria is currently employed as a Human Services Associate withBaltimore County’s Department of Social Services. She facilitates a JobReadiness program for the county’s Welfare to Work Reform. She teachesinterviewing skills, how to defuse your employment obstacles, and resumewriting.
7. Katherine Ryan– Wayland,Massachusetts- 21 years old. Kateattends Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she is majoring inGlobal Studies with a minor in learning disability advocacy.
8. DanWolfe– Williston, Vermont. Dan was a classics major, working in Greek and Latin in high school,college, and post graduate work. Hetaught for eight years, pursued other endeavors, and most recently has been aRemedial Language Specialist for the past eleven years at Pine Ridge School.