Melissa M. Bowen, B.A., is currently a High School Special Education Teacher for students with Severe to Profound Intellectual Disabilities who are medically fragile. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in art education at the University of Georgia and her certificate in Special Education Adapted Curriculum and Special Education General Curriculum from the University of Georgia SETWEB Certification Program. She has taught Art Education for Atlanta Public Schools and Special Education in Gwinnett County, including time at Five Forks Middle School, and is presently at Oakland Meadow School. At Oakland Meadow School, she teaches and supports the learning of all Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Profound students with developmental delays in both adaptive (social, communication, self-care, etc.) and cognitive abilities from Pre-K to the age of 21. She has presented Student Target Objective Reporting Instrument (STORI) training to Oakland Meadow School paraprofessionals and served as Group Project Organizer. Melissa collaborates in various models with Special Education staff, therapists, students, families and the community to enable special education students to make valuable contributions to themselves, their families, school, and their neighboring communities. Through the use of AAC along with a strong emphasis on school and classroom collaborations, all goals and objectives, curriculums, and assessments as well as student self-advocacy and life skills can be mastered.
Clay Crowder, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and current Chair of the Department of Special Education at Piedmont College in Athens. He holds both M.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees in Special Education from the University of Georgia. As a classroom teacher, he has taught students with mild disabilities in a range of settings. His research interests include positive behavioral support systems for school wide application, specialized support for gifted learners with disabilities, and formative assessment systems for early literacy. Dr. Crowder lives with his wife Isabelle, also a professor at Piedmont College, and their three children just outside of Athens on a small farm. In his free time, he raises dairy goats, chickens, and pigs. He is learning to garden, but not very successfully.
John Dayton, J.D., Ed.D., is a Professor of Education Law and Policy and the Director of the Education Law Consortium, a non-partisan pro bono research group dedicated to advancing knowledge and practice in education law, at The University of Georgia. Professor Dayton is an internationally recognized expert on law and policy. He is a lawyer with experience in public and private legal practice. He has also served as a judicial clerk, as a public school teacher, and Program Director. In recognition of his academic achievements, he was offered academic scholarships from many outstanding law schools including the Indiana University-Bloomington School of Law in his home State. Professor Dayton holds both a law degree and a doctoral degree in educational administration and policy from Indiana University. Dr. Dayton has taught law and policy courses for over two decades including education law; special education law; medical law; and professional ethics. Dr. Dayton is currently a professor at the University of Georgia, where he was the first recipient of the Glickman Award for excellence in research and teaching and is a member of the University Teaching Academy. Dr. Dayton is the author of over a 100 law review articles, books, and other publications on law and policy. He is an internationally recognized author and speaker on law and policy issues.
Deborah Foushee, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a Speech-Language Pathologist employed by Gwinnett County Public Schools at Oakland Meadow School, where she works with students who are identified as having significant cognitive, motor, and communication disabilities, along with complex medical issues. Her students range in age from 7 to 21. Most students are nonverbal and use low to high tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to assist them when communicating during their meaningful school day. Speech services are provided primarily through a “dual service” within the student’s special education environment, with limited “pull out” speech service. This provides for modeling and collaboration with special education staff and therapists, which results in staff and students becoming more proficient, successful communication partners. Deborah has worked in school, medical and/or private settings since graduating from the University of Montevallo in 1982, where she received both a B.S. and M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Georgia Speech-Language-Hearing Association, where she presently serves as Parliamentarian. Deborah has presented within her local school district on a variety of topics related to AAC and Feeding/Swallowing Issues for low incidence populations. In January, 2010, she presented at the annual conference of the Assistive Technology Industry Association on topics related to functional communication and AAC.
Dena L. Gassner, LMSW, developed her interest in family systems with diagnostic training at the University Affiliated program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, while simultaneously becoming a certified early intervention specialist. Upon completing her Master’s Degree at the University of Kentucky, she transitioned to individual/family coaching support in the field of Asperger’s Syndrome and similar processing and developmental learning challenges. Dena is the 2009 winner of the Jo Andrews Award from Nashville’s Mayor’s Committee on Disability for outstanding disability advocacy. She has been featured in a PSA (no-myths.org) and an online video for the Dan Marino Foundation (AU-tube). She is a frequent contributor to Autism Brainstorm (autismbrainstorm.org). She recently completed two years as an itinerant faculty member for Health-Education Network traveling the nation, providing professional development training to teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, behavioral consultants, families, individuals, and others.
Dr. Alan G. Kamhi, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a Professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. His early research focused on linguistic and cognitive abilities of children with specific language impairments (SLI) and mental handicaps. Later research focused on language-learning disabilities, culminating in a book co-edited with Hugh Catts, on language and reading disabilities. The third edition of this book was published in 2012. He also co-edited a book on clinical decision making in developmental language disorders with Julie Masterson and Kenn Apel.
Dr. Burkhead Morgan, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, has been a practicing speech-language pathologist since 1994 in a variety of healthcare settings including inpatient & outpatient rehabilitation, subacute, and acute care with level-one trauma center designation. She subsequently earned a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences from the University of Florida in 2005 while continuing clinical practice. She has developed an expertise in evaluation and treatment of swallowing and communication disorders in medically complex patients, particularly those with head and neck cancer and respiratory compromise. She has provided numerous seminars to both domestic and international audiences on dysphagia evaluation and treatment. Dr. Burkhead Morgan has also published peer-reviewed articles and a book chapter on the topic of dysphagia. She is currently a part-time Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education.
