Bernadette Van Den Tillaart- Deafblindness -  The Ohio State University

Bernadette started her work at the Center for Deafblindness at Royal Kentalis in The Netherlands as a teacher for the deafblind. Intrigued by and enjoying communication in the world of touch, she has continued working in the field of congenital and acquired deafblindness for over 30 years in a variety of roles and settings. She also developed a deafblind interaction program.

Since her move to the United States in 2002, she has been working with several national and state educational agencies and universities, such as OSSB, TSBVI, Perkins, PRCS, PSU, BU, TTU and OSU, for training, instruction, assessment and consultation. As a team lead, she developed several peer-reviewed on-line intervener OHOA modules with the National Center on Deafblindness. She is a board member for national and state (deaf)blind advisory and professional boards, an (inter)nationally invited speaker and has (co-)developed materials on deafblindness.

Bernadette holds two master's degrees in sensory impairments, Ohio TVI and THI licensures, and Coaching and Training certifications in Video Interaction Guidance. She found that her work experience and study have functioned as an intertwined spiral, continuously evoking new questions and sparking novel ideas, to serve tactile learners and to share with their educators who search for support.

Starting Autumn semester of 2016, Bernadette will pursue a Ph.D. degree within the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. She intends to focus her research on preparation programs for educators of learners who are deafblind.

Bernadette enjoys reading, walking, theater, and spending time with her husband, twin sons, and friends.